Hyper-Disciplined Corporealities: Youth Experiences and Meanings
Hyper-Disciplined Corporealities: Youth Experiences and Meanings
The aim of this research project is the in-depth analysis of the relationship between corporeity and processes of identity (re)construction among young people, based on the study of two specific cases: anorectic behaviours and overtraining behaviours. These cases correspond to youth manifestations whose visibility is imposed by the singularity and spectacularity that shapes the respective corporal expression, as well as due to the social relevance that is attributed to them, as behaviours seen as psycho-pathological on the increase within the context of Portuguese society. The objective of this research is to inventory the socio-symbolic structure of such behaviours as references of an identity construction at a given moment of the life cycle.
Estatuto:
Participant entity
Financed:
No
Keywords:
Body, Anorexia, Vigorexia, Youth
The aim of this research project is the in-depth analysis of the relationship between corporeity and processes of identity (re)construction among young people, based on the study of two specific cases: anorectic behaviours and overtraining behaviours. These cases correspond to youth manifestations whose visibility is imposed by the singularity and spectacularity that shapes the respective corporal expression, as well as due to the social relevance that is attributed to them, as behaviours seen as psycho-pathological on the increase within the context of Portuguese society. The objective of this research is to inventory the socio-symbolic structure of such behaviours as references of an identity construction at a given moment of the life cycle.
Objectivos:
The aim is to study some sport and diet practices that seek to exploit the «radical» appearance of the body, with the purpose of understanding and interpreting their cultural meanings and social anchorages. What motivates some young people to choose specific types of radical corporal expressions, often facing grave and significant physical and social risks? What configurations of meaning do they attribute to those bodies? What social conditions propitiate their emergence? What effects do their assumptions produce? Such questionings shall be conducted based on some domains of illustrative observation of youth productions and uses of the body generally considered «radical»: anorectic and overtraining behaviours, in other words, behaviours characterised by intensive adhesion to diet regimes (infra-caloric or hyper-proteinic), respectively often accompanied by the ingestion of substances that promise weight loss (Ex: diuretics) or the increase of muscular mass (Ex: anabolic steroids) and of physical over-exercise, behaviours that came to be or are about to become medically diagnosed pathologies, such as <em>anorexia</em> or <em>vigorexia</em>.
State of the art:
Parte-se da hipótese de que os comportamentos anorécticos e vigorécticos se caracterizam pela hiper-disciplina na aplicação dos regimes corporais que os consubstanciam. Os regimes de restrição alimentar e de prática desportiva corresponderão a investimentos expressivos na imagem corporal, materializando projectos geralmente orientados no sentido da adequação a modelos de corporeidade actualmente dominantes, associados a valores de juventude, saúde, sedução e sucesso. Supõe-se serem modelos de corporeidade, contudo, profundamente clivados por género: teremos modelos apropriados no masculino, conotados com força e tonicidade muscular; e modelos apropriados no feminino, associados à elegância e fragilidade corporal. A concretização desses modelos implica investigar actividades como, respectivamente, a musculação ou as dietas. <br /><br />Tais práticas, apesar de remeterem para modelos de corporeidade normativa, também terão os seus cultores mais ?radicais?, representados por jovens que se excedem na intensidade e frequência com que se aplicam nos regimes mobilizados, desenvolvendo o que designamos de comportamentos hiper-disciplinados. De facto, a concretização de projectos corporais que recorrem a estratégias dietéticas e/ou desportivas, tem vindo a traduzir-se num cada vez maior número de casos identificados com patologias ou perturbações psicossomáticas, associadas a comportamentos obsessivos e compulsivos no sentido da restrição alimentar (anorexia) ou da prática de musculação (vigorexia), com quadros de sintomatologia e de diagnóstico clinicamente definidos. <br /><br />Não é nosso objectivo explicar sociologicamente as ?doenças?, mas compreender as condições objectivas e subjectivas que estarão na base do que designamos de comportamentos anorécticos e vigorécticos. Muito genericamente, entende-se por comportamento anoréctico ou vigoréctico a conduta que se pauta por um conjunto recorrente e intensivo de acções de vigilância, restrição e disciplina corporal, no sentido de atingir um modelo de corporeidade ?ideal? e desejado, em função do qual o indivíduo passa a organizar os seus tempos e práticas quotidianas.
Coordenador ICS
Start Date:
01/01/2007
End Date:
31/12/2009
Duração:
35 meses
Closed
