Princess Diana: A Case Study

We are nearly envious of and, to some extent, resentful of the lives that the
royals lead. We aspire to live like them, to enjoy the privileges they enjoy, to be
recognised in the same way they are. What is seen, however, is frequently only
a small portion of what actually occurs in their lives. Even while you may see
the wealth, enormous fortune, notoriety, and inheritance, what lies behind is
unknowable and essentially indecipherable. One such example can be seen
through the life of Princess Diana.

Born on July 1, 1961 to aristocratic parents Viscount and Viscountess Johnnie

and Frances Althorp, Princess Diana (then Diana Frances Spencer) believed she
was a disappointment to her parents because she was not born a baby boy, the
desired to the Spencer estate. Diana's dissatisfaction persisted after her parents'
divorce when she was six, and her father's second marriage to Raine (a woman
she detested) when she was sixteen. Diana failed her "O-levels" (or college
placement examinations) shortly after her father's marriage to Raine and was
sent to a Swiss finishing school to pursue her passion for skiing rather than
academics. Diana's problematic habits, such as unrelenting stubbornness and
lying, as well as early indicators of an eating disorder, were founded on her new
sense of freedom. The effects of Diana's parents' divorce were certainly
traumatic and led to lifelong problems with issues of abandonment, anxiety, and
insecurity.

Eating disorders, such as bulimia, are a significant public health concern for
people of all ages (American Psychological Association, 2012). More
importantly, the biological explanation for bulimia derived from the notion of
multiple causation implies that eating disorder symptoms are adversely affected
by non-genetic variables and frequently co-occur with other disorders (Hansell
& Damour, 2008). For example, in the instance of Princess Diana, who suffered
from body anxiety (Triggs, 2011), bulimia provided her with a transient sense of
security, wholeness, and respite from depression (Segal, 2009).

Similarly, the cognitive-behavioural component of bulimia highlights how ideas

and behaviours perpetuate the disorder. Cognitive processes (dysfunctional
thoughts about gaining weight or becoming fat, for example) trigger
behavioural responses (dieting, binge eating, or purging), which in turn trigger
emotional reactions (which reinforce emotional relief, often accompanied by
guilt and depression), thus renewing the cycle of cognitive distortions and
behavioural disruptions (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Furthermore, Princess
Diana's situation exemplifies the evolution of such beliefs and behaviours; for
example, a week after she and Prince Charles got engaged in 1981, Diana
recalls in a statement “he put his hand on my waistline and said: “Oh, a bit
chubby here, aren’t we?” (Peyser & McGuire, 1997). From then on (as
highlighted in her interview with BBC) Diana continues to struggle with severe
symptoms of bulimia and depression.

Diana's life as a member of the royal family began in the early 1980s. Which is
when they first met and began dating Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (Burrell,
2007). In early 1981, the young man proposed to the nineteen-year-old
schoolteacher. They married on July 29th of the same year. This was the year
she was given the regal title of Princess of Wales. Their marriage gave rise to
two sons, nearly two years apart (Levchuck, 1999). The late Princess Diana
became overwhelmed by the demanding and dynamic obligations of being a
mother of two sons, a wife of a prince, a princess, and dealing with the incessant
media demands. She even had post-natal depression after the birth of Prince
William.

The royal couple's trouble began in 1985, soon following the birth of their
second son. Prince Charles was suspected of infidelity, and his wife was also
implicated in the same (Burrell, 2007). Both partners traded counter-
accusations, blaming each other for the marriage's failure. Princess Diana told a
reporter that "there were three of us in this marriage" in reference to her
husband's affair and his presumed mistress (Burrell, 2007). On August 28, 1996,
the two officially separated after reaching an agreement that was satisfactory to
both sides (Levchuck, 1999). The interview proved that the royal family was not
as perfect as people thought; it also had defects, just like any normal family.

In an interview, Diana stated that she often returned home from public
engagements "feeling pretty empty," and that she felt enormous pressure to keep
her marriage together despite the couple's well-documented issues. Diana
frequently wept before and after public appearances, due to both her own high
expectations for herself and the public. Prince Charles was certainly under
public and familial pressure to marry, but given his criteria for the future queen
of England, his choice of Diana seemed dubious at best. The position of
Princess of Wales necessitates a woman who is intelligent, independent, and
well-educated, as well as possessing a strong sense of self. Those qualities are
the antithesis of everything that Diana was and tragically remained throughout
her life.

Bulimia's psychodynamic component focuses on the aims of a perfection-

oriented family rather than the individual. A young lady diagnosed with
bulimia, for example, may become so focused on meeting the standards of
others that she loses track of what she wants for herself. This is relevant in the
case of Princess Diana, because Diana was responsible for upholding certain
political and social commitments during her marriage to Prince Charles. These
engagements were initially pleasurable, but as Diana's marriage to Charles
deteriorated, Diana became less motivated to attend the parties alone. Diana,
feeling rejected, continued to rely on bulimia symptoms to relieve herself of
unwanted emotional deficiencies over her marriage, obligations as Princess,
media criticism, and lack of support from the royal family (Elliot, 1995).

Consequently, it can be said that Princess Diana suffered from bulimia nervosa
and depressive symptoms for two reasons. The first, being the personal events
that transpired in her life which further exemplified the psychological
components necessary for diagnosis. Second, her never-ending devotion to
helping those in need, whether it was raising money for charity or speaking as
an ambassador for England, Diana passionately sought peace for herself and
others throughout her life.

Despite Diana's immaturity and early traumatic home life, the attitude of the
royal family toward her, the relentless media coverage, and the public's
adulation, one may come away from her account with a great deal of respect for
the courage Diana showed in adversity. She had a lifelong compassion for the
sick, the dying, and the disenfranchised. Her ability to connect with people gave
them understanding, hope, and support. It is unfortunate that Diana was derided
and labelled "barking mad" during her lifetime.

After a fatal accident on the streets of Paris on August 31, 1997, the curtains
dropped on her life (Burrell, 2007). She was with her then-boyfriend, Dodi Al-
Fayed, who also died in the accident (Burrell, 2007). The questions as to whom
or what was responsible for her death still remain unresolved. This is because
some claim that the press overpowered the driver, while others claim that the
driver was too inebriated to drive, and yet others claim that the occupants of the
car did not stop the driver from speeding, while still others blame it on the fact
that they were not wearing seatbelts. There are some who confer that the
accident was a mere ruse as to what had actually happened, given the
circumstances of the crash. Years later, even a special British inquest was
launched to investigate the death of the princess and a separate one for Dodi,
not in aims of assigning blame to anyone but to determine the facts of the
mysterious death.
Through this account we can understand that biological factors solely do not
contribute to mental illness or abnormal behaviour. Psychologists have provided
different approaches to explain such behaviour. Each approach emphasises a
different aspect of human behaviour, and explains and treats abnormality in line
with that aspect. These approaches also emphasise the role of different factors
such as psychological and interpersonal, and socio-cultural factors.
There are several psychological models which provide a psychological
explanation of mental disorders. These models maintain that psychological and
interpersonal factors play a significant role in abnormal behaviour. These
factors include maternal deprivation (separation from the mother, or lack of
warmth and stimulation during early years of life), faulty parent-child
relationships (rejection, overprotection, over-permissiveness, faulty discipline,
etc.), maladaptive family structure (inadequate or disturbed family), and severe
stress. Psychological factors are also emphasized by the cognitive model, which
states that abnormal functioning can result from cognitive problems. Individuals
may hold assumptions and attitudes about themselves that are irrational and
inaccurate. They may also repetitively think in illogical ways and make
overgeneralizations, that is, they may draw broad, negative conclusions on the
basis of a single insignificant event.

Besides the aforementioned, socio-cultural factors such as group prejudice and

discrimination, rapid social change and other such problems put stress on people
and can lead to psychological problems in some individuals. According to the
sociocultural model, abnormal behaviour is best understood in light of the social
and cultural forces that influence an individual. As behaviour is shaped by
societal forces, factors such as family structure and communication, social
networks, societal conditions, and societal labels and roles become more
important. It has been found that certain family systems are likely to produce
abnormal functioning in individual members. Some families have an enmeshed
structure in which the members are overinvolved in each other’s activities,
thoughts, and feelings. Children from this kind of family may have difficulty in
becoming independent in life. The broader social networks in which people
operate include their social and professional relationships.

Furthermore, through this case study we can see that in addition to biological
phenomenon, there are various psychosocial and socio-cultural factors that
attribute to one’s physiological, psychological and emotional health and well-
being.