The search for control is a common theme in the wide variety of current literature on the development and treatment of eating disorders (e.g., Bruch, 1978; Garfinkel & Garner, 1982; Minuchin, Rosman, & Baker, 1978). It is important that the psychotherapist treating anorexic and bulimic individuals grasp the deeper meaning of this pervasive symptom because it can create major therapeutic dilemmas. The present article suggests that the need to “take without cost” is central to understanding this search for control, and considers both implications for the therapeutic relationship as well as scriptural foundations.
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