Lecture 4: Suffering and Healing

Question 1

What is Cassell’s definition of suffering?

• a state of distress brought about by an….
• a threat to your….
• destruction of the ability to…

Answer 1

• A state of distress brought about by an actual or perceived threat to integrity.
• threat to your composure because an illness may cause you to not ‘be that person anymore’.
• destruction of the ability to communicate through words

Question 2

What is Younger’s description of suffering?

alienation….

Answer 2

alienation occurring in three different phases:

• alienation/hatred of yourself
• alienation from others
• when you make strangers out of people you know well

Question 3

What is Younger’s description of healing?

Answer 3

if we can find some way to regain our voice in three phases:

• mute suffering
• expressive suffering
• finding an authentic voice

Question 4

What is the biomedical definition of healing?

Answer 4

when you are given a diagnoses and then you receive treatment and then you are cured

Question 5

According to Helman, how does healing work?

- through ______, ________ and the ________ of _________ ________ symbols

Answer 5

through language, ritual and the manipulation of powerful cultural symbols