Abstract
Talcott Parsons’ “sick role” theory suggests that cancer patients face various social expectations from family, friends, and the community as ill individuals. One such expectation is to “move on” after successful treatment and remission. But is this assumption realistic or even desired by patients themselves? Utilizing in-depth interviews with 50 millennial cis-gendered females diagnosed with hormone-positive cancers, this paper provides a glimpse into how young cancer patients’ identities and bodies can morph in ways that make moving on an impossible and/or unattractive task, defying broader social expectations. Also discussed is how, then, these women grapple with their deviant identities through community-building and/or masking.
Presenters
Ellen MeiserAssistant Professor, Sociology, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, Hawaii, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Civic, Political, and Community Studies
KEYWORDS
Disability, Identity, Embodiment, Cancer, Women's Studies
