Doctoral Dissertation Research: Culture, Symbolic Interaction, and the Cancer Survivor

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

Because of the invasive, painful, and often disfiguring treatments for cancer and the uncertainty and fear of recurrence, it is unlikely that survivors simply return to their old lives following cancer treatment. The disruptive nature of serious illnesses such as cancer provides a unique opportunity to examine the process of self-construction. Intuitively, it makes sense that messages about cancer survivorship (embodied in other persons with cancer, conveyed in conversations with friends about cancer, or seen at a cancer fundraising run) will influence the process of making sense of cancer. However, empirically, we do not know how the public meanings of cancer shape the experiences of survivors. Furthermore, because many social representations of cancer target a particular form of cancer, we might expect that survivors of different cancers will be impacted by cultural meanings in unique ways. This project combines the symbolic interactionist perspective rooted in the writings of Mead with insights from cultural sociology to understanding the construction of self among two groups of cancer survivors. Three research questions will be addressed: 1) How do cultural representations of cancer impact the self of the cancer survivor? 2) How does social interaction impact the self of the cancer survivor? 3) How does type of cancer shape the relationship between self, culture, and social interaction? Data will consist of in-depth interviews with sixty women who have completed treatment for breast or colorectal cancer three to twelve months prior to the interview. Respondents will be recruited using systematic sampling methods at two cancer treatment centers in an urban community and at a small town cancer support organization. Interview transcripts will be analyzed using ATLAS.ti, a qualitative data analysis software program. The findings from this dissertation research will contribute to a burgeoning literature spanning cultural sociology and social psychology that addresses the links between culture and the self. Furthermore, this research will refine the chronic illness literature by drawing upon insights from cultural sociology to further consider the role of culture in the illness experience and will enhance our understanding of a unique and virtually unstudied subset of chronic illness sufferers. The broader impacts of this project include the following. This research will be useful to researchers, students, and practitioners interested in understanding cancer survivorship, including survivors of cancers other than breast and colorectal and the experiences of cancer survivors, such understanding is critical for developing services to assist survivors in returning to healthy and productive lives following treatment.