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Questing for Well-Being at Weight Watchers: The Role of the Spiritual-Therapeutic Model in a Support Group

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  • Risto Moisio
  • Mariam Beruchashvili

Abstract

Why do millions of consumers in the United States struggling with the consequences of overconsumption believe that membership in a support group is crucial to their well-being? We examine how Weight Watchers, the world's largest support group, aids its members' attempts at managing their overweight condition. This article advances the view that in the United States, support groups that are organized around issues of overconsumption, such as Weight Watchers, resonate with members' quest for well-being in light of the spiritual-therapeutic model. The spiritual-therapeutic model denotes the understanding of well-being inscribed within the contemporary American cultural milieu. We find that among Weight Watchers members in the United States, the support group acts as a venue for angst-alleviating therapeutic confession, fosters the enactment of the support group as a benevolent system of therapeutic oversight, and facilitates a revitalizing practice of autotherapeutic testimonial. (c) 2009 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..

Suggested Citation

  • Risto Moisio & Mariam Beruchashvili, 2010. "Questing for Well-Being at Weight Watchers: The Role of the Spiritual-Therapeutic Model in a Support Group," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 36(5), pages 857-875, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:v:36:y:2010:i:5:p:857-875
    DOI: 10.1086/605590
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    Cited by:

    1. Brownlie, Douglas & Hewer, Paul, 2011. "Articulating consumers through practices of vernacular creativity," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 243-253, June.
    2. Martin, Ingrid M. & Kamins, Michael A. & Pirouz, Dante M. & Davis, Scott W. & Haws, Kelly L. & Mirabito, Ann M. & Mukherjee, Sayantani & Rapp, Justine M. & Grover, Aditi, 2013. "On the road to addiction: The facilitative and preventive roles of marketing cues," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1219-1226.
    3. Bernard Cova & Simona D'Antone, 2016. "Brand Iconicity vs. Anti-Consumption Well-Being Concerns: The Nutella Palm Oil Conflict," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(1), pages 166-192, March.
    4. Celsi, Mary Wolfinbarger & Nelson, Russel P. & Dellande, Stephanie & Gilly, Mary C., 2017. "Temptation's itch: Mindlessness, acceptance, and mindfulness in a debt management program," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 81-94.
    5. Cheryl Nakata & Elif Izberk-Bilgin & Lisa Sharp & Jelena Spanjol & Anna Shaojie Cui & Stephanie Y. Crawford & Yazhen Xiao, 2019. "Chronic illness medication compliance: a liminal and contextual consumer journey," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 192-215, March.
    6. Ndichu, Edna G. & Rittenburg, Terri L., 2021. "Consumers’ navigation of risk perceptions in the adoption of stigmatized products," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 340-353.
    7. Dominique Roux & Russell Belk, 2016. "The body as a place: Enacting utopias through tattoo consumption," Post-Print hal-03518122, HAL.
    8. Corciolani, Matteo, 2023. "Navigating institutional complexity through emotion work: The case of Italian consumers adapting to a ketogenic diet," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    9. Sussan, Fiona & Hall, Richard & Meamber, Laurie A., 2012. "Introspecting the spiritual nature of a brand divorce," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(4), pages 520-526.
    10. Ulusoy, Ebru, 2016. "Experiential responsible consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 284-297.
    11. Bradford, Tonya Williams & Grier, Sonya A. & Henderson, Geraldine Rosa, 2017. "Weight Loss Through Virtual Support Communities: A Role for Identity-based Motivation in Public Commitment," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 9-23.

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