Be. Robinson et Jg. Bacon, THE IF ONLY I WERE THIN TREATMENT PROGRAM - DECREASING THE STIGMATIZING EFFECTS OF FATNESS, Professional psychology, research and practice, 27(2), 1996, pp. 175-183
The authors describe an innovative treatment program for fat women des
igned to increase the number and variety of their daily activities and
decrease their fat phobic attitudes and depression, thereby increasin
g their self-esteem. Data on 47 female clients who completed the Fat P
hobia Scale, the Restricted Activities Scale, the Beck Depression Inve
ntory-Short Form, and the Self-Esteem Scale, before and after treatmen
t, indicate improvement on all four instruments. The therapy approach,
which focused on (a) increasing clients' daily activities, (b)examini
ng individual eating patterns, (c) redefining standards of beauty, and
(d) teaching assertiveness skills to confront the prejudice and discr
imination faced by fat people, is presented in detail.