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Being severely obese has serious psychological and social repercussions, such as:
disapproval and lectures from family and friends, sneers and remarks from
strangers, not wanting to go out in public because of being self-conscious
and not being able to enjoy activities that most people take for
granted like going to the movies because the seats are too small, or taking
the subway because the turnstiles are too narrow, or even taking an airline
flight for vacation because the accommodations are too uncomfortable.
All these experiences repeated everyday for years results in an understandable
feeling of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
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Due to the societal worship of "thinness" and the ignorance that most people have about the
causes of obesity, it is not surprising that being overweight is still
the target of a great amount of discrimination. It doesn't matter what
gender, race, religion or sexual preference you are, society maintains
discrimination against a person’s weight. The general societal belief
that obesity is caused by a lack of self-discipline or moral weakness
has propagated such behavior. More importantly, this applies to employment,
where a job or a promotion is denied simply because of weight. Many scientific
studies have been performed to prove this.
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Research Studies
There have been many research studies performed looking at the psychological
and social aspects of morbid obesity. They reveal a few interesting facts
that you may not find surprising.
A study by Rand
and MacGregor performed in 1991 showed that 80% of severely obese people:
- perceived themselves as physically unattractive
- believe that others make disparaging comments about their weight
- dislike being seen in public
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- feel that they were treated disrespectfully by their physician
"Successful weight-loss following obesity surgery and the perceived liability of morbid
obesity."
Rand CS and MacGregor AM. International Journal of Obesity, 1991;15:577
A study by Maddox
and Liederman dealt with obesity as a social disability.
One study asked severely
obese persons to take a forced-choice questionnaire. That means, they
had to make a choice between being at their present weight or having some
other given illness. The results were astounding. Although there were
some variations,
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every obese person said that they would rather be blind
or have one leg amputated than be at their present heavy weight.
Most interestingly, every person would rather be a poor thin person than
be a morbidly obese millionaire.
Society is not the only culprit to be blamed for weight prejudice. Physicians are similarly
guilty of negative attitudes toward obesity. In 1969, a survey was performed
of 77 doctors, asking them to describe their obese patients. This is what they said:
- Their obese patients were "weak-willed, ugly and awkward
- They believed that their overweight patients were self-indulgent and therefore, "faintly
immoral and inviting retribution".
"Overweight as a social disability with medical implications."
Maddox GL and Liederman V. Journal of Medical Education,1969;44:214
How are societal attitudes to change if much of the medical community feels this way? In
the year 2000, more and more doctors are recognizing the fact that morbid
obesity is a serious illness that causes significant medical and psychosocial
problems. The team at NYU Medical Center recognizes all these issues and
strives to address them.
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