ACCOUNTS OF HEALTH AND ILLNESS - DILEMMAS AND REPRESENTATIONS

This paper argues that people's views of health and illness are best u nderstood as accounts that they give to others. In that sense, such be liefs are neither the expression of fixed inner attitudes, nor evidenc e for shared social representations. Instead, we emphasise the importa nce of seeing health talk as both ideological and dilemmatic. The pape r explores the way in which individuals who speak of health (or illnes s) in general must also give an account of their health in particular. Reviewing the distinction between 'private' and 'public' accounts, th e article discusses the various rhetorical devices by which this is ac hieved. This shows how people's talk about health both defines their s ocial fitness and exemplifies their claims to being ill or healthy.