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“Act thin, stay thin”: Commercialization, behavior modification, and group weight control
Author(s) -
Parr Jessica
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of the history of the behavioral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1520-6696
pISSN - 0022-5061
DOI - 10.1002/jhbs.21993
Subject(s) - dieting , commercialization , control (management) , weight control , plan (archaeology) , weight management , lifestyle modification , body weight , weight loss , psychology , social psychology , gerontology , medicine , business , marketing , management , obesity , history , economics , endocrinology , archaeology
In 1968, Weight Watchers International introduced behavior modification practices to their established commercial program. At the time, the addition of behavioral psychology gave Weight Watchers a distinct advantage over the many competing weight control groups in postwar America. The process of combining group therapy with a controlled diet plan, behavior techniques and later, exercise, has significantly influenced American popular culture. This article considers how the commercialization of group weight control impacted the development and dissemination of a new multidimensional approach for weight management and how this has shaped popular ideas associated with dieting and wider understandings of healthy living.