The causes of obesity or overweight (the terms are sometimes differentiated by degree and sometimes used interchangeably) are complex. Many investigations have shown that grossly overweight individuals have more emotional disturbance and more neurotic traits than do people of normal weight, but no study has ever linked obesity to any particular syndrome or specific psychological problem. A circumspect view is that it has multiple causes, including metabolic, neurological, and socioeconomic, as well as psychological, factors (Rodin, 1982;Swanson & Dinello, 1970).Etiology aside, excessive caloric intake is an endemic problem in the United States. It has been estimated that there are 40 to 80 million obese Americans, depending on the criteria for obesity (Stuart & Davis, 1972).A survey carried out more than 25 years ago indicated that almost 10 million Americans were dieting and that another 42 million were concerned about their weight (Wyden, 1965).The duthor gratefully acknowledges the technical and clerical assistance provided hy JoAnn Switzer,