Material Discourses of Health and IllnessLucy Yardley Material Discourses of Health and Illness explores the way in which the meaning, context and consequences of bodily phenomena, ranging from sex to heart disease, are created and transformed by human activity. It introduces a range of theoretical perspectives which can contribute to an understanding of the meaning and context of embodied experience, drawing on phenomenology, ecological psychology, post-structuralism and social constructionism. A critical overview of the methods and rationale of qualitative research and discourse analysis is given, and key issues confronting discursive researchers are addressed. These include the status of physical 'reality', the problem of relativism, and the question of how the validity of qualitative research can be established. This book provides practical examples of how these approaches can be applied to the field of health psychology with a collection of sophisticated discursive analyses of health-related topics, ranging from eating behaviour and childbirth to dialysis, deafness and AIDS. Each chapter explains and justifies a different approach, reflecting on its practical utility as well as its limitations. |
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accounts activity AIDS analysis appear approach aspects attempt become behaviour body changes chapter childbirth chronic clinical concept concerned condition consequences considered constructed context cultural deaf decorated described discourse disease disorder disorientation draw eating effect environment examination example experience facts feel function groups health and illness hearing hearing impairment human ideas identity impairment important individual interest interpretation interview involved issues Journal knowledge language linked lives London material meaning methods nature normal objective pain particular patients person perspective phenomenological physical position practices pregnancy present Press problems Psychology qualitative question referred reflection relations relationship reported representations response result role Sage scientific self-control sense sexual social society Sociology subjective suggested symptoms talk theory things understanding University women young