MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY, CHRONIC ILLNESS AND THE BODY

The sociological conceptualisation of chronic illness requires a socio logy which indicates the physicality of the body theoretically. The ai m of this paper is to demonstrate how the body might be integrated int o sociological accounts of the experience of chronic illness in a way that acknowledges biological and social facts, Central to our argument is the connection between bodily aspects of self and identity. Self a nd identity are core aspects of everyday experience and of the everyda y experience of illness. With the onset of illness bodily functioning alters and self-conceptions and identity may also change. The body, wh ich in many social situations is a taken for granted aspect of the per son, ceases to be taken for granted once it malfunctions. The bodily b asis of chronic illness has to be attended to because it limits or int erferes with other physical and social activities. The connection betw een biological and social facts is explored using the concepts of self and identity.