The Meaning of Weight in Marriage: A Phenomenological Investigation of Relational Factors Involved in Obesity

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the marital quality of 11 couples experiencing obesity. The authors sought to answer the research questions “How does weight affect marriage?” and “How does marriage affect weight?” The principal author interviewed each spouse individually and each couple conjointly to understand their experiences of weight in their relationships. Two major findings are addressed in this article. The first theme was that weight joins the couple as the third leg of a triangle, dividing and/or uniting the couple against the weight. Couples with an obese spouse(s) present themselves along a continuum, at different places on the triangle at different times in the marriage. The second finding was a methodological one indicating the importance of the conjoint interview as an interview of the relationship itself. This interaction of the two spouses over weight was much greater than the sum of the interviews of the two partners.