Obesity and labeling theory

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Obesity and labeling theory

Body Image

Body image is the perception a person has of his body. It is the result of:

That person perceives his body (Is that, in general, I like or do not like my body?)\

What he/she thinks others perceive her body [Is that in my other like or do not like my body?] (Watkins, 2009).

These perceptions lead a person to be more or less satisfied with their body. A person who is generally dissatisfied with their body has a negative body image. A person who is, in general, satisfied with her body has a positive body image. Satisfaction of a person in respect of his body is strongly influenced by perceiving or not a difference between ideal body shape (e.g., the models or movie stars) and the representation that we because of his own silhouette (Smolak & Thompson, 2009).

In Western society, the tall, thin women (thin in some cases) we are exposed as ideals or models of beauty. Knowing that less than 5% of women naturally have a figure similar to the models, it is not surprising that the majority of them are dissatisfied with their bodies and therefore have a negative body image. The phenomenon is also present in males, which are more sensitive to the difference they see between their figure and the brawny models found in advertisements (Wykes & Gunter, 2005).

Labeling theory 

This theory pertains mostly to cases of deviance. It identifies four steps that lead to the labeling of a subject as deviant and where it sinks somehow this negative identity:

A subject does something deemed deviant.

It is the means by his gesture.

This is living labeling problems on.

The subject commits other deviant acts in response to problems encountered.

The social reaction theory, labeling theory, labeling theory or labeling (Labeling theory in English) is one of the theories micro-sociological of the sociology of deviance developed during the 1960s and 1970s that postulated theories regarding of social relations, that deviance is not inherent to the specific act but a manifestation of the social majority that qualifies or negatively label minorities comporatamientos of deviating from standard cultural norms of the majority. The theory has paid special attention to different groups or minorities often suffer labeling or negative rating for its deviation from the social majority rule [the disabled, the mentally ill, criminals, homosexuals, children, elderly, etc.] (Camerer, 2003).

The labeling theory argues that deviance is not inherent to an act, but shows the trend of the majority of the negative rating or labeling of minorities who are seen as the standard deviation of cultural and social norms. The theory refers to how the identity and behavior of individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify such behavior, and is associated with the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy and stereotyping (Abadinsky, 2003). 

Theories about Body Image

Social Learning Theory

It is also known as vicarious learning, observational, imitation, modeling or social cognitive learning, this learning is based on a social situation ...