Psychological explanations for obesity

Psychological explanations emphasise the paradoxical effects of dieting and cognitive restraint.
According to restraint theory (👥 Herman and Mack, 1975), dieters deliberately restrict their food intake, but this often leads to overeating, particularly when selfcontrol is disrupted. 👥 Wardle and Beales (1988) supported this by showing that dieters ate more than non-dieters when under stress. The disinhibition hypothesis further explains that individuals often lose control in response to emotional distress, alcohol consumption, or exposure to forbidden foods, leading to binge episodes.
The boundary model (👥 Herman and Polivy, 1984) expands on this by suggesting that hunger and satiety create biological boundaries for eating. In normal eaters, these boundaries prevent overeating. However, dieters extend their boundaries cognitively, making it easier to override satiety signals. Once the diet boundary is broken (e.g. through eating a forbidden food), overeating continues until extreme fullness is reached.
These psychological theories are supported by experimental and observational research, and they explain why dieting is often unsuccessful and even counterproductive. However, they do not account for biological predispositions, and not all dieters become obese, which means these explanations may only apply to certain individuals.

Sign up to unlock the rest of this topic — plus every other topic, video, flashcard set and eBook guide in your SnapRevise Digital subscription.

Cancel anytime — instant access the moment you sign up.