(c) Goffman and Stigmatization Recently, obesity problem has been increased in many developed countries around the world tormenting a large number of people more than ever before. Not only is obesity a negative factor when one’s health issue is considered, but also there are sociological factors that can negatively influence the lives of obese people. In order to understand about sociological perspectives toward obesity, it is useful to associate with the Goffman’s writings and his theories such as stigmatization and symbolic interactionism. These theories allow us to thoroughly analyze the sociological issue that obese individuals face. Moreover, it is important to consider possible solutions to cure stigmatized individuals and to prevent a stigma attached to obesity. In order to take a sociological viewpoint into account when one examines obesity, first it is important to understand how obesity is recognized in current society. According to today’s news articles and magazines and advertisements and other mass media about health and healthy life, one can easily realize that a great number of people have an eagerness to be healthy. Also, one can assume through these mass media about health that everyone wants to be attractive, and they are even prone to transform their own behaviors to gain attractiveness. This is because most people live a life where social interaction is frequently required and must engage themselves into social interaction every day of their life. Therefore, based on these ideas and proofs throughout this mass media, obesity is regarded as one of the characteristics that is disgraceful and undesirable in society. Many researches and studies conducted in America, one of the major countries afflicted with the... ... middle of paper ... ...Web. 10 May 2014. . "IDENTITY AND REALITY." SparkNotes. SparkNotes. Web. 10 May 2014. . Langer, Ellen J., Susan Fiske, Shelley E. Taylor, and Benzion Chanowitz. "Stigma, Staring, and Discomfort: A Novel-stimulus Hypothesis." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 12.5 (1976): 451-63. Web. "Obesity Costing Employers Millions." All Headline News. 2006. Web. 10 May 2014. . Puhl, Rebecca, and Kelly D. Brownell. "Ways of Coping with Obesity Stigma: Review and Conceptual Analysis." Eating Behaviors 4.1 (2003): 53-78. Web. "Treating Obesity Vital For Public Health, Physicians Say." Science Daily. 2006. Web. 10 May 2014. .
Watson, John B.; R Rayner, (March 2000) Conditioned emotional reactions, American Psychologist, Vol 55(3), 313-317.
What comes to your mind when you hear someone is overweight. In most american’s eyes, it is someone who anyone who is not a model. This creates a huge predicadment counting that America is known to be fat. In the past few decades, lifestyle has changed our habits, but we did not think about the consequences. If we eat more then we must be doing some kind of exercise to counteract what we put inside of us. In the article “America’s War on the Overnight” by Kate Dailey and Abby Ellin, they successfully persuade the reader to tackle obesity, we need to focus more on the subject of obesity and not attack the obese using the rhetorical triangle.
As the weight debate rages on, Mary Ray Worley’s “Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance,” seeks to dispel and shatter many of the stereotypes often placed upon the overweight. Worley states that, “Americans would rather die or cut off a limb than be fat,” (Worley 291). Worley’s basis for writing the article is to explain her experiences of being an overweight woman in a society that does not accept her and how she overcomes this stereotype.
Morrison, T. G., O’Connor, W. E. (1999). Psychometric properties of a scale measuring negative attitudes toward overweight individuals. The Journal of Social Psychology, 139(4), 436-445.
This essay will be explaining the definition of sociology, the sociological factors of obesity using Symbolic Interactionism Theory and the Functionalism Theory and a description of the medical condition obesity and how it may affect individuals suffering from it.
Interest in the social aspects of obesity is nothing new. Jeffrey Sobal has written extensively about the social and psychological consequences of obesity , including the stigmatisation and discrimination of obese and even overweight individuals (Sobal 2004).
Moon, Amy. "A Culture Obsessed with Thinness Propagates Misconceptions About Obesity." SF Gate (8 Apr. 2008). Rpt. in How Should Obesity be Treated? Ed. Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
Being fat is one of the most stigmatizing attributes in America. One cannot live through a single day without encountering numerous forms of fat prejudice in magazines, on television, in the streets, and even in homes. Erving Goffman’s Stigma delineates three types of stigma: abominations of the body, blemishes of individual character, and tribal stigma of race, nation and religion (4). According to Goffman’s definition, being fat is an abomination of the body. Being fat is a highly visible stigma, unlike the stigma of being queer which does not have an outward appearance. According to research in Women’s Conflicts About Eating and Sexuality, "Fat oppression, the fear and hatred of fat people, remains one of the few ‘acceptable’ prejudices still held by otherwise progressive persons" (Meadow 132). In fact, people are obsessed with noticing fat, not getting fat, and pointing out to people that they are fat without hesitation. Unlike other stigmas, fat people are blamed for their condition. Society believes that if fat people really wanted to they could just lose weight and be permanently thin. Fat is not the problem, rather fat oppression endorsed and reinforced by society is the problem.
Today obesity is talked about as a major physical health problem. It can cause diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, immobilization, and many other problems. However many articles fail to mention what is one of the most important and most destructive problems. This is the effect of obesity on one’s mental health and wellbeing. Being excessively overweight usually instills in it’s victims a sense of self worthlessness and gives them a very negative self-image. This can lead to an array of problems that affect the person in a way that is much more direct and difficult to deal with than physical problems. While the problem is known to affect men, it strikes women much more often.
Labeling theory is what makes obesity categorized as a physical deviance. “Labeling theory (in regards to obesity) focuses on three important issues: the relativity of deviance, the societal reaction or labeling of deviance and deviants, and the outcomes of being labeled” (Heckert 34). Social control defines obesity as deviant and then labels those who are obese as deviant. Those who “overeat” and are considered overweight are seen to be contributing to their deviancy (Schaefer). So within the context of being ...
The escalating rates of obesity are taking a devastating toll on the Asian culture (Poon & Tarrant, 2009). Individuals who are suffering from obesity are now experiencing co-morbidities. Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, and hypertension are just a few disorders that have substantially higher rates forcing individuals to seek medical attention. Studies have shown that in Hong Kong, there is sufficient evidence that morbidly obese individuals carry such stigma that these individuals tend to not go outside and seek medical attention in fear of being ridiculed (Poon & Tarrant, 2009). This information alarmed the student nurse and provided the urge to research how prevalent negative attitudes toward obese patients are.
There is an epidemic running rampant across the United States and most people do not know the effects it has on society; this epidemic is none other than obesity. In the last thirty-five years, the obesity rate has more than tripled. Obesity has many ill effects and is the cause of many diseases. Washington Post journalist Wil Haygood, elaborates, “A lot of our medications are for ‘disease states,’ such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, things that can be adversely affected by increased weight” (411). Speaking with a pharmacist, Haygood explains how obesity can lead to serious disease and further health implications that are difficult to overcome.
Obesity is a serious condition that has generated a discussion on whether or not to be classified as a disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity is the body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, which is calculated based on the person’s height and weight. For years, our society has been facing the obesity challenge, which can be extremely costly once it leads to several diseases. Thus, because of the constant increase of percentage of people with obesity, the American Medical Association (AMA) proposed in June 18, 2013 to classify obesity as a disease. Their argument was that obesity increases the risks of countless health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension etc. Moreover, it increases morbidity and mortality. By considering obesity as a disease, their aim was to maximize researches and funding, which will focus on obesity from different medical and health approach levels. Their idea of classifying obesity as a disease was in accordance with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s declaration of 1995. The institute declared, “ Obesity is a complex multifactorial chronic disease developing from multiple interactive influences of numerous factors.” In 2012, the CDC data showed 34.9% of adults obese and 17% of obese children. These numbers are very alarming especially since the struggle to deter certain factors contributing into this condition is still a challenge. Among the struggles, there are the people’s rights versus health regulations to keep them as healthy as possible like the former mayor Bloomberg regulation on soft drinks size cut. During CNN’s show GPS of Sunday 2, 2014, the host Zacharia...
Tannenbaum’s theory of tagging and the dramatization of evil seems to be particularly relevant to being fat. Tannenbaum theorizes that society tags specific acts as deviant, and if a person commits that act, they themselves become evil in the eyes of society (Bereska, 2014). As related to weight, the initial deviant act would be overeating or inactivity. Though many fat people maintain healthy lifestyles, it is often assumed that the engaged in that initial act of deviance, even if someone did not personally witness it. From that assumption comes the dramatization of evil – that person becomes nothing but fat, which in my experience, is often associated with a lack of self control and emotional issues. By some, fatness is viewed as an evil, contagious disease that is spread by associating with an overweight person. The other labelling theory that fits well with discussions of being overweight is Howard Becker’s concept of master status. Essentially, Becker theorizes that when someone has a deviant label prescribed to them, it becomes their whole identity to those on the outside (Bereska, 2014). When someone is given the label of “fat” or “obese”, it becomes the only thing people can see. I find that in my own personal interactions, I have to prove that I am more than a fat woman to be take seriously, and give everything of myself to be treated as an actual
Obesity occurs in all countries and it is one of the gravest problems in modern society. Obesity problems have become one matter of concern for individuals all around the world. What is more is that Obesity rates continue to rise all around the world. One of the chief causes is unhealthy diets. Obesity is also due to lack of exercise and lack of education and awareness. Therefore obesity has various effects including the risk of suffering from a range of health conditions, increased expenditure on health care and lack of self-esteem.