Narratives of Health - Lecture Two

Question 1

Who created the illness narratives?

Answer 1

Arthur Frank

Question 2

Restitution narrative

Answer 2

Yesterday fine, today sick, tomorrow better. attractive story, uplifting

Question 3

Chaos narrative

Answer 3

And then and then and then… A whirlpool effect

Question 4

Quest narrative

Answer 4

Go through a journey of suffering and route to fix it and find a solution

Question 5

Testimonial narrative

Answer 5

Stories that remove the bad parts of the illness, only mentioning the good parts.

Question 6

Pilgrimage

Answer 6

Going to a far place to understand a familiar one better, it is a journey to find something

Question 7

Anthropologist OF medicine

Answer 7

An anthropologist who looks at trends and society in order to improve the healthcare systems currently in place

Question 8

What was the Lecture 2 Reading on

Answer 8

Health vs. Happiness Imperative: Smokers face a conflict between the public health imperative to quit for physical health and the personal imperative to maintain emotional wellbeing through smoking. Some smokers position smoking as a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, and happiness, despite knowing its health risks.

Stigma and Responsibilisation: Public health campaigns often frame smoking as a failure of individual responsibility, which can lead to stigma. Smokers in the study manage this stigma by creating narratives that either justify their smoking as addiction, a social norm, or a choice related to managing emotional health.

Secrecy and Resistance: Many smokers hide their smoking from others (e.g., family) due to the stigma. Some even construct narratives of rebellion or victimhood to resist the judgment of public health campaigns.

Implications for Public Health Campaigns: The study highlights that public health messaging focusing solely on individual responsibility can be counterproductive, as it stigmatizes smokers. There is a call for campaigns to consider the broader social and emotional context of smoking and avoid exacerbating stigma.

The study suggests that lung screening campaigns and public health initiatives should address the emotional needs of smokers and promote care over moral responsibility to quit​