THE LIMITS OF MEDICALIZATION - MODERN MEDICINE AND THE LAY POPULACE IN LATE MODERNITY

Taking as its point of departure the medicalization thesis and its lim itations, this paper provides a critical discussion of certain more re cent theoretical perspectives on life in contemporary society, and the ir relevance for understanding the relationship between modern medicin e and the lay populace. In particular, attention is paid to the contou rs and existential parameters of life in 'late' modernity in terms of the following four key themes: (i) modernity as a 'reflexive' social o rder; (ii) 'risk' and the dialectic of scientific and social rationali ty; (iii) the 'mediation' of contemporary experience; and (iv) lay 're -skilling' and the 'life political' agenda. On the basis of this, it i s argued that far from being simply passive and dependent, a 'critical distance' is beginning to emerge between modern medicine-and the lay populace; a situation which resonates with broader social trends and c urrents within society at large. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science L td.