The study of metaphor has moved from abstraction and poetics into the realms of cognitive science and cultural studies. Rather than being seen as purely figurative and secondary to literal meaning, investigation of metaphors reveals a close relationship to our processes of reasoning, a capacity to both reveal and cover, and a plasticity that forms within surrounding cultural values. I reviewed current metaphor theory, including its concerns and justifications, and designed a simple survey experiment through the Qualtrix webpage. The survey was distributed via the Amazon Mechanical TURK system. The experiment, in two different versions, briefly described obesity and then asked participants to describe their attitudes toward, and preferred solutions for, this emerging public health issue. The paragraphs differed only in the metaphor used to describe obesity. Based upon a metaphorical framing hypothesis, it was predicted that obesity as an "infectious epidemic" would bias readers towards societal causes and a preference for public policy changes, while obesity as "simple calorie math" would bias readers towards individualized causes, and less support for public policy changes. The hypotheses of the study were not supported; there was no significant difference in participant responses between frame conditions. Possible reasons for non-significant results include the survey format, unique aspects of obesity as a public health problem, and participants' level of media exposure to obesity. However, this study could be easily altered into various iterations to confirm or deny many aspects of brief metaphorical framing.

Counselor physical attractiveness has been shown to affect subject perceptions and expectations. One characteristic which is particularly at odds with the attractiveness ideal is obesity. This study examined the potential effect of counselor obesity level on subjects' perceptions, expectations, and willingness to pursue counseling. Two hundred twenty-five students (146 women and 79 men) participated. Each subject rated one of six randomly selected counselor descriptions, including a photograph when appropriate, on the dependent measures (i.e., Counselor Rating Form-Short Version, Personal Problem Inventory, and questions rating physical attractiveness and willingness to pursue counseling). The data were analyzed using 2 (Gender of Counselor) X 3 (Obesity Level: Obese, Nonobese, Control) and 2 (Gender of Counselor) X 3 (Obesity Level) X 2 (Gender of Subject) ANOVA and MANOVA techniques, as appropriate. Male subjects perceived obese counselors to be less expert than did females. No other statistically significant differences based on Counselor Obesity Level were identified. Instead, main effects for both Gender of Counselor and Gender of Subject were obtained. Generally, the woman counselor was rated more positively than the man. Also, women subjects generally gave more positive ratings than did men. While the effects identified were statistically significant, their small effect sizes and small mean differences may limit their practical effect. Obesity level does not appear to affect how counselors are perceived or treated, particularly when they are moderately obese. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services