2: The Body Flashcards
Body notes - embodiment
Body = embodiment of who we are = the self
- Self becomes what it is through body
- Body = self’s representation to the world
Body is more than a physiological organism functioning according to genetic code = vehicle for thinking, feeling, and acting
We often take our bodies for granted
- know our bodies
- understand their language
- trust our bodies, until something goes wrong…
body languages
The body speaks to the person through SENSATIONS ANCHORED in MEANING
= Meaning is derived through experience in social world
People learn to trust their body’s language (sensations) & know peculiarities
- understand its needs
- changes (puberty, aging) have implications, yet sense of ‘knowing’ one’s body remains
(reacts to stress, fatigue, overeating)
symptoms vs body language
Symptoms = medical interpretations of what is happening = outsider’s labeling of experiences
People don’t speak in language of symptoms, they speak in change of sensation or appearance
Meaning of life is derived from _____
= derived from body
- Stems from ability to do, look and experience life as expected
- Meaning can change when desired functions change
- Suffering is emotional too = affects self
Body & Self relationship
Body and self = viewed as a unit
- “I had a heart attack” not “my body had a heart attack”
Mind/body split when body becomes disabled
- unit until body can no longer conduct performances at a person’s will
- “I am more than my body”
- if body can’t function, person within remains
Body in Health & Wellness
time, space, morality, aesthetics, info/technology/relationships
time in health
Clock time:
- scheduled around what a person wants to do with their lives (not according to time free of pain)
- perceived as open-ended
Perceived time:
- can put things off as time will always be there
- taken for granted
Historical time:
- the story of one’s body over time
- Developmental changes, wear and tear
- Family’s medical history, genetic factors passed
Biographical time:
- experiences carried over a lifetime
- memories/emotions carried within the self
Predictable body rhythms:
- internal clocks
- Periods over the day when body feels more energetic, hungry or fatigued
time in illness
Clock time:
- structured around regimines/time free of pain
- seen to be closing in on us = how much left?
- precious, not taken for granted
- never-ending when confined or passing too quickly
Historical time:
- captured by medical history
- intrudes life, disrupts biographical time
- body of present/future = compared to past
- sense of loss and changed identity
Rhythms:
- no longer predictable with treatment
- body has new sensations no longer anchored in meaning
space
In health = space is not bounded
In illness = space can feel constrained/bounded
- bodily space can be seen as being violated through technologies
- intimate space is violated through diagnostic poking and probing
*Spatial arrangement is key
- things need to be within reach, spaces left open to move, strategically placed to hold on to
(ex. Parkinson’s, MS)
Morality
Morality = through degree of control
In health = do what you want with your body, sometimes bordering body abuse (smoke, climb mountains etc.)
- take pride in achievements, building self-esteem
- Moral issues (right to die, transplants) are viewed from a distance
In illness: control over body is delegated to medical professionals
- Might be little choice on what to do to body
- Moral issues (transplant) have personal meaning
- Moral repercussions and stigma from AIDs, obesity, smoking (hold themselves responsible for acquiring related diseases)
Aesthetics
even if unhappy with shape/appearance/performance… know body conforms to cultural norms
- Clothing, hair, make up
- Exercise
- Tattooing/body modification
- Body size
Healthy able people don’t typically stand out
Body products (mucus, urine etc.) can arouse disgust in self and others
Loss of body pleasures can be denied
- ex. inability to swallow from MS
-
Information, technology & interpersonal relationships
= Information
health: know their bodies, trusting information it provides through senses
illness: senses can be blocked or distorted
- information received can be hard to understand
- Familiar body becomes unfamiliar body
- New body sensations might not be anchored in meaning (pain, fatigue)
= Technology
- Almost everyone is dependent due to natural body limitations
- chronic illness = can become an extension of the self (meds, life support machines)
= Interpersonal Relationships
- After childhood, able to care for own bodies
- Illness can bring upon dependency
constructions of health & illness
= arrive at conception of self as well or ill
- tension with body and self
constructing an illness identity (first signs)
- interruption of ‘normal’ life/activities
- typically 1st sign something is wrong with body = changes in sensation/appearance
- loss of bodily and self-control
constructing a health identity
People can be medically defined as “ill” but don’t feel ill
Given diagnosis doesn’t = construction of illness identity
Ex. (AIDs)
- did not see himself as ill while having AIDs
- Ability to work and travel = healthy
- bodily sensations occurred affecting job/lifestyle = now ill
When a person seeks medical help, Dr might ….
Dr might give meaning to sensations
discount sensations (delegitimizing illness experience)
arrive at faulty conclusions
- Missed diagnosis = cut biography short
Terminology is essential in constructing illness identities, this is often = ?
Often violent language
- Sabotage
- Abandonment
- Revolting
- At war with itself
- Under fire or attack
- Protected
- Defeated
These terms normalized through ‘science’ and education
Reconstructing a health identity
= learning to trust the body again after an acute episode of illness
- Can take time
- ex. heart attack, medical papers
body is not taken for granted
- Necessary to protect from future harm
- feel greater control to take matters into their own hands (diet)
a. have “illness cure” = still feel vulnerable
b. in denial = resume to activities (smoking) because they are now cured (lung transplant)
