Rorschach and Sentence Completion Test <SCT) data of 21 eating disordered patients aged 15 toE29 were examined to uncover the nature of conflicts within the family. Analysis of Rorschach responses and SCT descriptions of parents and self showed that these patients tend to feel as though they are in cornpletely helpless situations, especially with mothers who cannot detect signs that they are in need of help, or with fathers who are potentially powerful but do not use their power to help thern.

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... he fantasy arnong eating dlsordered patients that they have lost communication with important caretakers and therefore find themselves in clesperate situatiens is discussed through reference to the detailed sequence analysis of the Rorschach data of Miss A., a 28-year-old eating disordered fernale patient, for psychedynamic understanding. Miss A. showed resignatien to the mother who is engaging in her own activity and indifferent to her, ideallzed her father and expect him to be her powerful rescuer but seon noticed that he weuld never use his power to help her, These cenfrontation led Miss A. to deve]op a sense that she cannot escape frorn the cr・ ises, became desperate and exaggerated self-rnocking attitude. ***