Thesis-1998-Horton-Salway.pdf (14.07 MB)
Mind and body in the discursive construction of M.E.: a struggle for authorship of an illness
thesis
posted on 2010-11-05, 11:21 authored by Mary Horton-SalwayThis thesis is an analysis of the discursive construction of a controversial medical
condition (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) and how it has been made sense of, in and
through the discourse of medical scientists, general practitioners, and M E sufferers.
Various kinds of text and talk are analysed from the perspective of discursive
psychology, arguing that versions of reality are a product of participants' constructive
and dialogical practices. (I include my own text as an example of this.) The analysis of
scientific texts, illness narratives, diagnostic narratives, and M E self-help group
discussions, show how explanations about the status of M E and its causes are
embedded in accounts of the identity of sufferers, the nature and status of medical
explanation, and the competencies of medical practitioners.
There is a sense in which the controversial topic of this thesis provides an ideal forum
for examining both lay and professional reasoning practices about illness, in a context
where the 'objective' world of 'medical facts' threatens to disintegrate into merely
subjective points of view. One of my concerns has been to show how the participants
themselves orient to, and manage this 'reality disjuncture' by means of a variety of
discursive devices.
The main body of the thesis addresses this problem through issues such as: the
significance of diagnostic labels, different models of medicine, and the relevance of
mind and body in explanations for illness. Finally, there is an analysis of the narrative
constructions of M E sufferers and GPs, to show how psychosocial 'evidence' is used
to warrant the speaker's interpretation of illness as either a mental or physical
phenomenon.
History
School
- Social Sciences
Department
- Communication, Media, Social and Policy Studies
Publisher
© Mary Horton-SalwayPublication date
1998Notes
A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University.EThOS Persistent ID
uk.bl.ethos.286049Language
- en