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The problem of obesity is in the main a psychological one, except for the relatively infrequent instances due to endocrine malfunction. The behavior of the obese individual is characterized by overeating and underactivity. His attitude to his corpulence is an ambivalent one: while he bemoans its disfiguring and handicapping effects, he is seemingly unwilling or unable to carry through measures for its correction. That is so because the fat person is an immature, insecure individual and bodily bulk conveys to him a sense of strength and symbolizes a bulwark against an unfriendly and threatening world. It also provides a ready rationalization for withdrawal from social contacts which might provoke fear and anxiety. Furthermore, for the obese individual food has come to represent love, security and satisfaction, whereas muscular activity is associated with situations of danger. Such an emotional constellation is generated in a specific family setting. The family is usually small and the obese individual is either the youngest or an only child. The mother is a dominant personality and frequently tries to work out her own problems and frustrations through her child. She expresses her possessive affection by overprotection and overfeeding. This behavior of the mother at the same time represents a reaction formation against an underlying hostility, which leads her to devise far-reaching measures for the safety of the child. As a result, the child grows up with an inadequate sense of security and self-regard and food becomes his weapon against anxiety and the pre-eminent source of comfort in situations of frustration.