Identity, Health and Women: A Critical Social Psychological Perspective PDF
Preview Identity, Health and Women: A Critical Social Psychological Perspective
Identity, Health and Women This page intentionally left blank Identity, Health and Women A Critical Social Psychological Perspective Jacqueline Ann Christodoulou Ph.D., CPsychol. © Jacqueline Ann Christodoulou 2010 Foreword © Judith Sixsmith 2010 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2010 978-0-230-24179-4 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2010 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, HampshireRG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries ISBN 978-1-349-31748-6 ISBN 978-0-230-29251-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230292512 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Christodoulou, Jacqueline Ann, 1961– Identity, health and women : a critical social psychological perspective / Jacqueline Ann Christodoulou. p. cm. 1. Women–Health and hygiene–Psychological aspects. 2. Women–Health and hygiene–Social aspects. 3. Women–Identity. I. Title. RA564.85.C487 2010 613’.04244–dc22 2010027509 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 I dedicate this book to my children and their children, for the times when life has been difficult but the thought of them has made it all worthwhile and especially to my partner Eric who has changed my life for the better. This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Figures xi Foreword by Judith Sixsmith xii Acknowledgements xiv Chapter 1 Introducing Health and Psychology 1 Introduction 1 Deconstructing health – Early notions of health 3 Health and psychology 5 Health psychology and social constructions: 6 The biopsychosocial model of health What is critical health psychology? 9 Embodiment in critical health psychology 12 Health and the social world – The politics of 14 women’s health Women’s health today – Overview and structure 20 of this book Part I Theory 23 Chapter 2 Understanding Women’s Health: Health 25 Perspectives What is women’s health? 25 Gendered health: Women’s health 27 Non-reproductive health in women 30 Mental health and women 31 Reproductive health – Periods, pregnancy and 33 childbirth Reproductive health – The menopause and the 36 perimenopause The perimenopause 42 Understanding women’s health – Women doing 44 health Chapter 3 Identity Theory and an Interactive Health Identity 47 Introduction 47 What is identity? 47 How is identity formed? 48 Personal perspectives of the self 49 vii viii Contents Social perspectives of self 52 Social construction and the postmodern self 54 Why health identity? 57 Embodiment and health identity 59 The narrative self 63 Social theory and locating identity in society 67 Conclusion: The story so far 67 Chapter 4 Feminist as Far as Possible – The Feminist Health 69 Identity and Critical Realism Introduction 69 Woman as ‘other’ 69 Working backwards – Historical aspects of feminist 71 theory Feminism, postmodernism, and the development 72 of the feminist standpoint Relational gender identity politics 75 Women’s lives in today’s society: Theory into 77 practice – or not? Critical realist philosophy of science – Neither 81 realism nor relativism Critical realist health psychology 82 Critical realism and social science research 82 Feminism as identity ontology 83 Societal discourses as competing ontology? 85 What do these competing ontologies mean for 86 women’s health identity? Critical realism, truth and the lived experience 89 Critical realism, postmodernism, reflexivity and 90 narrative psychology: Historical fiction? Chapter 5 Investigating Women’s Health: The Story So Far 95 Introduction 95 Why use qualitative methodology? 95 What is narrative psychology? 97 How the work was carried out 102 Interviewing women 103 The research site 108 The participants 108 Ethical considerations 109 Chapter summary 109 Contents ix Part II Voice 111 Chapter 6 Narrative Touchstones of the Storied 113 Perimenopausal Health Identity Introduction 113 Strong women, fragile health – Tones of narrative 116 The storied health identity 118 Introduction to the personal health identity 120 Health beginnings – Stories of growing up 120 healthily Becoming a healthy woman – What health means 121 to me Building health – Constructing womanhood 124 Changing health – Who am I now? 132 Generating health – Who will I be? 139 Conclusion 140 Chapter 7 Reaching Out – Interpersonal Narratives of the 141 Perimenopausal Health Identity Narratives of interpersonal health experiences 141 – He said, she said Remembering health 142 Relating health – Family matters 143 Coping with health – Understanding and support 148 Performing health – Getting on with it 154 Predicting health – Ending up like my parents 157 Health and relational identity – Images and 159 metaphors as signposts and interactive themes Chapter 8 Stories of Societal Health – The Impact of 161 Narrated Positional, Situated and Ideological Health Representation Belonging and health – A time and place 161 Social deprivation and personal identity 165 Informing health – Mediated health in society 172 Television programmes – Comedy and the 176 perimenopausal women Fighting for health – Us and them 182 Controlling health – If I am good then I will be 190 well, that is what I believe Returning to past health experiences – Back to 196 the future
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