TITLE:
Negative Emotions and Defence Mechanisms in Obese People
AUTHORS:
Valeria Biasi, Paolo Bonaiuto
KEYWORDS:
Defence Mechanism, Negative Emotions, Obesity, Personality, Stress
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.5 No.18,
November
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: Previous investigations, using an effective non-invasive procedure of
short-term experimental stress, proved that Obese vs. Normal Women develop about
double the intensity of negative emotions (anxiety, anger, sadness) when under
stress (Bonaiuto
et al., 1993). A high production of negative emotions as a
reaction to many everyday life stressors forces people to resort to psychological
defense mechanisms. In the case of Obese Persons, these include oral regression
(“neonatal regression”) and somatization, together with repression and denial.
The latter components are part of the so-called Lifestyle Defense Mechanisms,
studied by Grossarth-Maticek (1980). In the rigorous revision and
classification carried out by Spielberger (1988) and Spielberger & Reheiser (2000, 2009), these
factors were defined as “Need for Harmony” (N/H) and “Rationality/Emotional
Defensiveness” (R/ED). In order to develop further appropriate indications,
more than seven hundred Italian adults were examined by also recording the Body
Mass Index (BMI) and using some evaluation tools, including the LDM Inventory.
Significantly higher N/H scores were found in Obese Persons when compared with
Overweight, Normal weight and Underweight ones. Other personological
differences included significantly higher frequencies of the Type B Behaviour
Pattern and higher average levels of Hyperphagic tendencies among the obese
people. A development of this study involved more than one thousand
participants and provided a confirmation of the influence of these defence
mechanisms and personality structures as co-factors in determining obesity.