The Experience of Being Obese and the Many Consequences of Stigma
The present qualitative study aimed to explore how people experience their obesity and to explore the impact of this on their motivations to lose weight. Participants (𝑛=46) were either currently obese or had been obese and were interviewed about their experiences. Participants described the impact...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2010-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Obesity |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/429098 |
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| _version_ | 1832567146933125120 |
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| author | Jane Ogden Cecelia Clementi |
| author_facet | Jane Ogden Cecelia Clementi |
| author_sort | Jane Ogden |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present qualitative study aimed to explore how people experience their obesity and to explore the impact of this on their motivations to lose weight. Participants (𝑛=46) were either currently obese or had been obese and were interviewed about their experiences. Participants described the impact of obesity on aspects of their self-identity and used language such as “ugly”, “freak”, “hate”, “blob”, and “disgust” which reflected the pervasively negative impact of their weight. They highlighted a complex and often contradictory relationship with food and described how such negative experiences were created out of the dynamic between their obesity and a stigmatising social context. Some, however, suggested that such stigma could also have positive consequences by promoting and encouraging behaviour change. Many obese people, therefore, experience their weight in profoundly negative ways as a result of existing within a social context which stigmatises their condition. The results are discussed in terms of the costs and benefits of stigma and a balance between support, tolerance, and collusion in promoting weight loss. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-175190317373455f8bb4d8ea2b6aad06 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-0708 2090-0716 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2010-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Obesity |
| spelling | doaj-art-175190317373455f8bb4d8ea2b6aad062025-02-03T01:02:06ZengWileyJournal of Obesity2090-07082090-07162010-01-01201010.1155/2010/429098429098The Experience of Being Obese and the Many Consequences of StigmaJane Ogden0Cecelia Clementi1Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford Surrey GU2 7XH, UKDepartment of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford Surrey GU2 7XH, UKThe present qualitative study aimed to explore how people experience their obesity and to explore the impact of this on their motivations to lose weight. Participants (𝑛=46) were either currently obese or had been obese and were interviewed about their experiences. Participants described the impact of obesity on aspects of their self-identity and used language such as “ugly”, “freak”, “hate”, “blob”, and “disgust” which reflected the pervasively negative impact of their weight. They highlighted a complex and often contradictory relationship with food and described how such negative experiences were created out of the dynamic between their obesity and a stigmatising social context. Some, however, suggested that such stigma could also have positive consequences by promoting and encouraging behaviour change. Many obese people, therefore, experience their weight in profoundly negative ways as a result of existing within a social context which stigmatises their condition. The results are discussed in terms of the costs and benefits of stigma and a balance between support, tolerance, and collusion in promoting weight loss.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/429098 |
| spellingShingle | Jane Ogden Cecelia Clementi The Experience of Being Obese and the Many Consequences of Stigma Journal of Obesity |
| title | The Experience of Being Obese and the Many Consequences of Stigma |
| title_full | The Experience of Being Obese and the Many Consequences of Stigma |
| title_fullStr | The Experience of Being Obese and the Many Consequences of Stigma |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Experience of Being Obese and the Many Consequences of Stigma |
| title_short | The Experience of Being Obese and the Many Consequences of Stigma |
| title_sort | experience of being obese and the many consequences of stigma |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/429098 |
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