Making Sense of Illness : The Social Psychology of Health and Disease

Incorporating material from medical sociology, health psychology, and medical anthropology, Making Sense of Illness explores the ways we cope with both short-term and chronic health problems. Author Alan Radley identifies--and assesses the impact of--our responses to illness, considering the possible mitigating effects of such elements as personal beliefs and emotionally supportive relationships; he also acknowledges the negative effects that stress, resulting from a variety of cultural as well as personal factors, may cause. With its clear and lucid style, this keen work relates to the reader's own experience. A comprehensive introduction to relevant research--and a critical commentary on explanations of health and illness in social life, this book will be essential reading for students of health sciences, psychology, and sociology "It is hard to imagine a more important project for nurses that trying to understand how people make sense of health and illness. This is a book that will certainly be of assistance in achieving such and understanding. . . . It is written in a clear accessible style but does not trivialize the issues, and the author provides a wealth of suggestions for further reading." --Nursing Times Agenda