The Principle Of Symbolic Interactionism Essay

Obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects health or wellbeing. As methods that determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of obesity and its many adverse health effects, it is being recognized as a serious public health concern (Lobstein and Leach, 2007).

Obesity is known as a condition where a person has excessive fat in their body and it is also defined as being a genetic and environmental factor, which can occur to anyone from child to adult. It is a factor where people eat the wrong foods and do not watch their diet. Obesity or overweight is a very dangerous disease because it can be the leading cause of diabetes, hypertension and even sleep apnea and many more symptoms can be caused by the disease.

“People think that the arts are optional and they aren’t. They teach a level of emotional depth that’s equally important to mathematical skill. You can replace some math skills with a calculator if you know how to operate the thing, but there’s no calculator for human interaction”. This is a quote by actor Hal Sparks depicting the importance and necessity of face to face interaction. These interactions are central to a stable society as it assumes meanings are created through interaction. This is a theory known as symbolic interactionism and is one of three major sociological perspectives. Symbolic interactionism is an essential part of a stable society and is very apparent in the novel Gang Leader For A Day by Sudhir Venkatesh, where the

Obesity is usually defined by using the body mass index (BMI). A persons BMI is worked out by dividing the persons weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared. To be classified as obese a person’s BMI will be equal to or over 30. (CDC, 2015)

Obesity is defined as defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Obesity is not only based on an individual’s weight but also their BMI. A BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight. A BMI greater than or equal to 30 is obesity ((Organization, 2013). Obesity is the most common preventable deaths and the fifths leading health risk globally. Obesity has also been linked to other debilitating diseases and can increase a person’s chances of being hospitalized. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death (cdc.gov, 2014).

The symbolic interaction theory relates how individuals correlate actions and items to symbols they create. This association takes place between humans and the society they live in. Individuals can have the same situation going on, but associate different meaning through symbols of how they view what is going on. It is important to note that individuals will act differently based on the meaning of the interaction for the people or things around them. There is also a huge component of the symbolic interaction theory that takes into consideration how individuals think they are perceived. “In symbolic interactionism, this is known as "reflected appraisals" or "the looking glass self," and refers to our ability to think about how other people will think about us” (Boundless, 2015). This will also govern the symbols that we associate with different groups of people that we will encounter.

Obesity as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention means having excess body fat. Obesity is a condition where a person has accumulated too much body fat resulting in negative effects on their health. If a person’s body weight is at least 20% higher than normal, they are considered obese. A factor that ties into gaining weight is metabolism. Metabolism is how your body changes food and oxygen into energy it can use.

Obesity is determined most frequently using Body Mass Index (BMI), a weight to height ratio that defines the ideal weight of a person.

Obesity is a health condition where a persons body weight is heavier than what is considered healthy for a certain height. To determine if someone is obese, a nutritionist measures their body mass index, which correlates with their amount of body fat. If the BMI is 30 or above, their body weight is twenty percent higher than an ideal height weight ratio and considered obeast.

According to MedicineNet.com obesity is defined by National Institutes of Health as a BMI (Body Max Index) of thirty and above. A BMI of fifty would be about fifty pounds overweight. BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. A high BMI usually means high body fatness. Obesity is based on both genetic and behavioral factors. Although both these factors can play a huge role in obesity it is time for Americans to own up to the fact that we are making ourselves obese.

Just what is obesity? Obesity is defined as having an excessive amount of body fat. Obesity occurs when a person’s weight is far above their ideal body weight. The root cause of obesity is widely debated. An inactive lifestyle, environment, genetics, family history, health conditions, medicines, emotional factors, age, pregnancy, and lack of sleep are many factors that can contribute towards obesity. Many times we can find multiple overlaying factors, for example, we may see a family history of obesity, along with an inactive lifestyle all while in an environment that reinforces overindulgence.

Symbolic interactionism helps explain both of our individual personalities and the ways the human society is linked together (p.27). It also helps us differentiate social order and change through a process. The teachings of symbolic interactionism comes mostly from George Herbert Mead But,George was not the only one that influenced the thoughts and ideas of symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interaction is theoretical perspective so it is still changing and evolving. It also has four kinds of understandings in the population and environment. One of the understandings is that symbolic interactionism is to understand why people engage or do not engage in social growth of the population . Symbolic Interactionism assumes that people from different social backgrounds, and different cultures may see different social issues within their social community. George Mead,Charles Cooley and Herbert Blumer shaped symbolic interactionism on the predictions of yourself causing you to behave a certain way so it becomes true.

Obesity basically means having too much body fat. Not being overweight for your height, having too much muscle, or water in your body. What exactly is obesity? “Obesity is a condition that is associated with having an excess of body fat, defined by genetic and environmental factors that are difficult to control when dieting. Obesity is classified as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater. BMI is a tool used to measure obesity. Obesity increases your risk of developing related conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea, to name a few. Many individuals are affected by obesity and are not aware of it” (O.A.C, 2016). Causes of obesity vary from person to person, but most are from the same reasons. Taking in more calories than your body can burn leads to obesity because your body stores the unused calories as fat. Typical causes are eating too much food than your body can use, drinking too much alcohol, and not getting enough exercise. Many obese people who lose large amounts of weight and gain it back think it is their fault. They blame themselves for not having the willpower to keep the weight off. Many people regain more weight than they lost. Today, we know that biology is a big reason why some people cannot keep the weight off. Some people who live in the same place and eat the same foods become obese, while others do not. Our bodies have a complex system to help keep our

George Herbert Mead studied and used an interactionist approach for many years. He was a philosophy professor at the university of Chicago. Mead thought that the true test to any theory is whether or not it is useful in solving complex social problems (EM Griffin, p.83). So Mead decided to study the procedures of communicating, specifically with symbols, the theory was titled Symbolic Interactionism.

Obesity is defined by dictionary.com as the condition of being grossly fat or overweight. Obesity in the United States has gone up dramatically in the past couple decades and has transcended to being a major global epidemic. In the United States the obesity rate has doubled since 1970 to over 30% and more than two thirds of adults are overweight today while one third is obese (Hammond & Levine, 2010).