The Sociological Imagination: Obesity - Assignment Example

Conflict theorists define obesity as a social problem especially for the wealthy who have adequate wealth to lead reckless lifestyles. The wealthy can afford any service a feature that makes them feel invincible. They overburden the health care system thereby denying the poor the vital services. A functionalist would define obesity as a major social problem that arises from failures in various social institutions. Obesity is a lifestyle disease that with the rising number of obese people in the United States showing the intensity of the failure of various systems that would otherwise safeguard the health and physical fitness of people (Pollock, 2013).

A symbolic interaction theorist, on the other hand, would define obesity as a social problem that arises from the interaction among people in society and their ability to share values. To these theorists, obesity arises from changing lifestyles and the spread of obesity represents the efficiency and intensity with which people share the changing values.Functional theorists provide a realistic approach to the problem since they investigate social features and institutions that have failed thereby leading to the problem.

The theory addresses obesity as a social problem that has effective solutions by addressing the changing lifestyles and nutrition two of the most significant factors that contribute to the spread of the problem (Bartos & Wehr, 2002).