The author discusses the symbolism of obesity in different psychosocial contexts.
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Despite the ever-increasing level of knowledge, awareness, technology and various industries facilitating health and slimness, the number of obese people is steadily increasing. The negative consequences of obesity affect not only health and fitness, but also wellbeing and psychosocial functioning. Even when excessive body weight makes daily life significantly more difficult and a great deal of effort is put into its reduction, many people are unable to achieve the desired weight. Some experience the situation as completely out of control and difficult to justify logically. Although it is known that obesity in the vast majority of cases is due to excess food and too little physical activity, it is not clear why we eat too much despite not feeling hungry and sometimes even despite being loath to eat. Both medicine (e.g. malfunctioning neurotransmitters such as serotonin or damage to the satiety centre in the brain) and psychology are trying to find the answer. The latter, depending on the scientific concept adopted, explains obesity in terms of the relationship with the environment, abnormal beliefs, internal conflicts, the relationship between the body and psyche, interactions in the family system or cultural influences.
Relationship with the environment
The learning process is about acquiring new information and skills that facilitate daily functioning, provide satisfaction and help avoid setbacks. This also applies in the area of eating. At an early age, food not only serves to satisfy hunger, but becomes a symbol - of pleasure, security, acceptance. When an infant for some reason feels unwell and cries out to its mother, who in response hugs and feeds it, the child soon begins to associate food with a pleasant emotional state. This association is later reinforced throughout life, when, for example, the child is given chocolate as a reward, is taken out for ice-cream as a consolation, or goes for a pizza with his parents to celebrate an important event. Adults also use food as a positive symbol when, for example, they give others a box of chocolates as a token of their affection, prepare a special dish for someone close to them or order ice cream to make a social gathering more pleasant. Even certain activities eventually become associated with a particular food, e.g. popcorn with watching a film, chocolate with exercise. In this way, a habit is formed. The longer it lasts and the greater the pleasure that accompanies it, the more entrenched it becomes. The behaviour ceases to be the result of a conscious choice and becomes an automatic activity that is sometimes even difficult to control. In this case, changing one's diet can resemble freeing oneself from an addiction, such as smoking.
Misconceptions
The way one thinks about oneself, other people and the world affects not only a person's well-being, but also the type and quality of actions one takes. Beliefs may be based on acquired knowledge and experience, or they may stem from commonly held opinions. Beliefs about one's own appearance, food or obesity, significantly condition lifestyles, including eating.
There are a number of sayings and proverbs in the public consciousness that can hinder the maintenance of a slim figure and encourage excessive body weight. Examples include: "it's better to give a baker/massage than a doctor", "bread is not thrown away" or "don't say no when you're being served". Colloquial sayings may also refer to a preferred appearance, e.g. 'a well-fed child', 'you can see that you are doing well' or 'a woman must have something to sit on and something to breathe'. Also in the history of a particular family, there may be nurtured messages about what is desirable and what is not in the sphere of appearance and food, e.g. "we have fat bones in our genes", "the women in our family have always been fat", "in our house food is not wasted". Beliefs may also relate to individual preferences, e.g. "I cannot live without sweets" or "I work hard and need to eat properly".
Taking these factors into account, effective treatment of obesity should include recognising and then positively changing entrenched beliefs about food and oneself.
