Obesity and Social Disorders

Obesity has many different variables on the harm to an individual; major/minor health risk such as diabetes or heart issues, put unwanted pressure on feet or back and also the social disorders such as eating disorders, depression and the stigma (labeling theory) on being obese. Most individuals do not think of the social disorders that can be a factor from being obese. I know that most may not be able to puzzle together how an eating disorder can relate to obesity: the image of beauty or what is acceptable in the U.S. is being thin not obese. The main social institutions that have a huge influence on the individual would be peers, media, family and education; each of these have an influence with obesity.

Eating Disorders and Obesity

An interesting fact about eating disorders is that it was not a problem 100 years ago in the U.S. (Bordo 1995). There are two main types of an eating disorder: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.  Society has created this disorder with creating an image of beauty being thin, even in the 1940’s the image of beauty would be considered obese in today’s image. If an individual is concerted obesity by them self or by society, they may turn to eating disorders to lose weight. Eating disorders are more common in women than men (Cockerham: Sociology of Mental Disorders, 2010). Even within the media they pressure women not to eat much or the women in the commercials do not even eat. With obesity already causing some health risk, these eating disorders also cause health risk. Eating disorders are damaging to one’s body by not getting the nutrition’s, puking harms the throat and the stomach acid is damaging to throat also. When the stress of being obese and starting to develop an eating disorder can be thought about as being related to being in control of one’s body. According to Cooper (1995) individuals with an eating disorder they are most likely to develop depression.

Depression and Obesity

Depression is a period of at least two weeks during which a person experiences either a depress mood or loss of interest or pleasure in activities (Cockerham: Sociology of Mental Disorders, 2010). When I see commercials on the television with people that are obese they express experiencing depression. Being obese is seen as a deviant behavior which can cause a person to develop depression: society and peers judging, being harsh or when going through a stage they may whether eat and cause more weight gain. As in the eating disorders women are more prominent to have depression if they are obese. In Boutelle and colleagues did a study and found that obese adults have more depressive symptoms but not major depression (Health Psychology, 2010).

Stigma/Labeling Theory and Obesity

When the society places judgement on a particular behavior it can either be positive or negative depending on what is the right and proper behaviors according the societal norm. Preforming a deviant behavior could lead to having a stigma associated with that individual. Obese individual’s have the stigma of being lazy and eating to much. Goffman explains three main forms of stigma: abominations of the body, blemishes of individual character and the tribal stigma’s of race, religion and nationality (Cockerham: Medical Sociology, 2011). Obese would be a the form of abominations of the body from the three main forms of stigma according Goffman’s scale.  Stigma can have a negative affect among obese individuals.

Howard Becker  in 1973 had came up with the concept of the Labeling Theory, what is regarded as deviant  behavior by one or more individuals may not be seen regarded to another individual or group(s).  Similar to stigma, the Labeling Theory on obese individuals is their deviant behavior (not exercising, caring for their health) can lead to negative actions among the obese individuals.

Conclusion

Obesity has different variables that it can affect towards an individual from being major (heart issues) or minor (being content), there are other variables individuals need to think about when it comes to obesity. There is such a high demand from society to look a certain way if not the individual(s) are seen as a deviant person for their behaviors and with the social disorders growing, we should focus on some of these to resolve some issues.

Allison, David B, and Monica L Baskin. “Handbook of Assessment methods for eating behaviors and weight-related problem.” Google Scholar. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. <http://books.google.com/‌books?hl=en&lr=&id=APNdcs3xzlkC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=eating+disorders+and+obesity&ots=iQ_YdNeHjb&sig=IbBgXkq4G1l7TcBJvihmW43EHkU#v=onepage&q=eating%20disorders%20and%20obesity&f=false&gt;.

Bordo, Susan. Unbearable weight. N.p.: n.p., 1995. Print. 45-68

Boutelle, Kerri, et al. Google Scholar. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. <http://psycnet.apa.org/‌journals/‌hea/‌29/‌3/‌293/&gt;.

Cockerham, William C. Medical Sociology. N.p.: n.p., 2011. N. pag. Print.

– – -. Sociology of Mental Disorder. N.p.: n.p., 2010. N. pag. Print.

images from google.com

Kayla Ortman, March 28, 2012, 5:45pm