The DOI matches its Crossref record; 87 of the 87 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 1 of the 28 sources its claims cite were checked for support.
The Social Construction of Illness: Key Insights and Policy Implications
Abstract
The social construction of illness is a major research perspective in medical sociology. This article traces the roots of this perspective and presents three overarching constructionist findings. First, some illnesses are particularly embedded with cultural meaning—which is not directly derived from the nature of the condition—that shapes how society responds to those afflicted and influences the experience of that illness. Second, all illnesses are socially constructed at the experiential level, based on how individuals come to understand and live with their illness. Third, medical knowledge about illness and disease is not necessarily given by nature but is constructed and developed by claims-makers and interested parties. We address central policy implications of each of these findings and discuss fruitful directions for policy-relevant research in a social constructionist tradition. Social constructionism provides an important counterpoint to medicine’s largely deterministic approaches to disease and illness, and it can help us broaden policy deliberations and decisions.
Overview
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
This article reviews the social construction of illness perspective in medical sociology, tracing its roots and synthesizing three key findings: cultural meanings of illness, the socially constructed illness experience, and socially constructed medical knowledge. It argues these findings have policy implications and can broaden policy deliberations by countering medicine’s largely deterministic approaches.
Key findings
- Some illnesses carry cultural meanings not directly derived from biology, shaping social responses and the experience of illness; examples include stigmatized illnesses (e.g., epilepsy, HIV/AIDS), contested illnesses (e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity), and disability as socially constructed. Policy implication: shift emphasis from biomedically fixing individuals toward changing the social and cultural context that gives illnesses negative meaning.
- All illnesses are socially constructed at the experiential level: people enact illness, construct identity, and manage daily life. Research uses in-depth interviews and insider views; Charmaz describes how chronic illness can shrink worlds, and millions of American women identify as breast cancer survivors and activists. Policy implications include moving from “compliance” to context-centered strategies, using illness narratives in pain management, and addressing lay knowledge and illness identities.
- Medical knowledge is socially constructed by claims-makers and interested parties. Feminist, science studies, and medicalization research show how medical ideas can reproduce gender, class, and racial-ethnic inequality and how diagnoses and markets expand—e.g., male impotence was renamed “erectile dysfunction” in the late 1990s, the FDA approved Viagra in 1998, and Pfizer marketed it to a broader audience. Policy implication: critically examine how problems are framed, because definitions shape policy and can authorize social control.
Methods
- Design: conceptual/review article, not an empirical study; it traces intellectual roots and synthesizes constructionist literature over the last 50 years.
- Data/sample: no original data or sample; it draws on prior sociological, historical, and feminist scholarship and case examples.
- Analysis: organizes key findings under three themes—cultural meanings of illness, illness experience, and medical knowledge—then discusses policy implications and future research directions.
Limitations
- The paper states it does not showcase criticisms of social constructionism, though it acknowledges important critiques: that it may deny the natural world, ignore whether some ideas better represent the world, and reproduce a false binary between real and socially constructed (Hacking 1999). It also notes criticisms/limitations of the disease/illness distinction (Timmermans and Haas 2008) and states its amalgam approach “minimizes important differences between various types of social constructionism.”
- Evident from the text: as a review/essay, it presents no systematic review protocol, no empirical data, and no tested policy outcomes; policy implications are illustrative and drawn from cited literature rather than evaluated here.
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Claims the paper makes
13 Sources not found · 3 Own interpretation · 3 No basis given · 2 No full text of the sources · 2 Not checked yet · 1 Partly supported · accuracy not yet measured
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Second, all illnesses are socially constructed at the experiential level, based on how individuals come to understand and live with their illness.”
- Also stated in: § Illness Experience as Socially Constructed · p. 5 · plain
“Another key insight of constructionism is that the illness experience is socially constructed.”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Charmaz 1991
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Bury 1982 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Illness Experience as Socially Constructed · p. 5 · plain
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“Third, medical knowledge about illness and disease is not necessarily given by nature but is constructed and developed by claims-makers and interested parties.”
- Also stated in: § Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 7 · hedged
“Eliot Freidson (1970) was probably the first medical sociologist to articulate how medical knowledge is socially constructed.”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Freidson 1970
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites Foucault 1977
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 7 · hedged
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“The research of medical sociologists in the subfield of science studies also reveals how medical knowledge is conditioned by the social context in which it is developed.”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Joyce 2008
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites Timmermans 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Likewise, the engines of medicalization have expanded beyond medical professionals, social movements, and organizations to biotechnology, consumers, and the insurance industry.”
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“In an earlier book, Epstein (1996) similarly underscored the politics of knowledge by demonstrating how the science regarding the cause and treatment of HIV/AIDS is best understood as an amalgam that was constructed and contested by different constituencies (e.g., scientists, doctors, drug companies, patients, and activists) rather than the outcome of 'pure' science.”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Epstein 1996
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
boosteddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
In the paper
“Even as this new paradigm offers potential tools for addressing nagging questions about health disparities-e.g., why do black women with breast cancer have higher mortality rates than their white counterparts?-it has the consequence of reifying the categories of race and gender as biological realities.”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Epstein 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
In the paper
“In a recent book Epstein (2007) analyzes the emergence, beginning in the mid-1980s, of a new paradigm of biomedical research that proactively included individuals from underrepresented social groups (e.g., women and racial and ethnic minorities) in clinical studies, with an eye toward understanding the differences between groups with respect to disease processes and treatment outcomes.”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Epstein 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
In the paper
“Epstein explains how the knowledge it produces about race and gender are in part the outcome of social and political conflicts and negotiations, as opposed to essential truths found in nature.”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Epstein 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Over the years, sociologists have shown that women's natural reproductive functions (e.g., pregnancy, childbirth, menstruation) are routinely medicalized (Barker 1998; Riessman 1983; Riska 2003).”
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Barker 1998 source
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Riessman 1983
- Not matchedcites Riska 2003
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
boosted- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“When medical perspectives increasingly define obesity as an illness (rather than a risk factor for diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc.), policies focus on solutions such as gastric bypass surgeries, rather than examining the role of product promotion by the food industry or the availability of healthy foods in neighborhoods with high rates of obesity.”
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- It may state two separate claims as one. 7
- Probably not a substantial claim. 5
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“First, some illnesses are particularly embedded with cultural meaning-which is not directly derived from the nature of the condition-that shapes how society responds to those afflicted and influences the experience of that illness.”
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 3 · plain
“certain illnesses have particular social or cultural meanings attributed to them. These meanings adhere to the illness and may have independent consequences on patients and health care.”
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Sontag 1978
- Partly supportedcites Barry et al. 2009 sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The introductory discussion of illness metaphors and the “Reasoning by Metaphor” section show how meanings attached to health conditions shape public attitudes and policy responses. The “Obesity Metaphors” section also describes how people who are overweight may be treated badly in work and social settings. The paper does not establish the broader claim that such meanings are independent of a condition’s nature or generally shape the experience of illness. Page numbers were unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.82)
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 3 · plain
In the paper
“A social constructionist approach to illness is rooted in the widely recognized conceptual distinction between disease (the biological condition) and illness (the social meaning of the condition) (Eisenberg 1977).”
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Eisenberg 1977 source
boosteddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“Contested illnesses, including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and multiple chemical sensitivity are medically suspect because they are not associated with any known physical abnormality.”
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 4 · plain
“contested illness sufferers are burdened by the cultural meaning of a medically invisible condition in an era of high-tech biomedicine”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Barker 2005
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites Brown 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites Kroll-Smith and Floyd 1997
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 4 · plain
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“Because the attributes that are deemed disabilities, and the very meaning of being disabled, vary across time and space, disability cannot be reduced to a mere biological problem located in an individual's body”
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 4 · plain
“the body has an impairment (e.g., loss of limb) while society creates the disability”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Barnes, Mercer, and Shakespeare 1999
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites Oliver 1996
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 4 · plain
In the paper
“there is nothing inherent about a condition that makes it stigmatizing; rather, it is the social response to the condition and some of its manifestations, or the type of individuals who suffer from it, that make a condition stigmatized”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Conrad 1987
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
In the paper
“The emphasis is on how meanings of phenomena do not necessarily inhere in the phenomena themselves but develop through interaction in a social context.”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Berger and Luckman 1966
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“After all, any policy response to a problem is determined by how the problem is defined or framed in the first place.”
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Warnings about the risks of fetal alcohol syndrome effectively blame individual women and deflect attention away from the well-established links among class, race, and birth outcomes (Armstrong 2003).”
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Armstrong 2003
boosteddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Both the boundaries of the ED diagnosis and the markets for ED drugs expanded enormously (Conrad 2007).”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Conrad 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
In the paper
“When the solution is to mandate that federally funded clinical studies include individuals from underrepresented subgroups, we inadvertently cast the problem as rooted in biological differences between racial and ethnic groups and downplay the role of socially structured inequalities (Epstein 2007).”
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Epstein 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For example, Prempro, a widely prescribed hormone replacement drug, is just the latest in the ongoing effort to medically 'treat' menopausal 'symptoms,' despite the fact that changes associated with menopause are a common and ordinary aspect of women's reproductive lives.”
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Rests on an assumption: Changes associated with menopause are a common and ordinary aspect of women's reproductive lives.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Framing anger in women as evidence of the disease PMS, to be treated with antidepressants, trivializes the impact of gender inequality on women's daily lives.”
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
The paper relies on this without support.
Changes associated with menopause are a common and ordinary aspect of women's reproductive lives.
“despite the fact that changes associated with menopause are a common and ordinary aspect of women's reproductive lives.”
The paper relies on this without support.
There is a social predilection toward treating human problems as individual or clinical rather than addressing the underlying causes for complex social problems and human suffering.
“It seems that we have a social predilection toward treating human problems as individual or clinical—whether it be obesity, substance abuse, learning difficulties, aging, or alcoholism—rather than addressing the underlying causes for complex social problems and human suffering.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Compared to 50 years ago, physicians have experienced a relative decline in professional authority.
“Compared to 50 years ago, physicians have experienced a relative decline in professional authority.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Laypeople with illness have a greater voice, and there is greater recognition of that voice.
“Both reflecting and reinforcing this trend, laypeople with illness have a greater voice, and there is also greater recognition of that voice.”
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On the Concepts of Health and Disease
Hofmann, B. (2025) · Philosophy and medicine · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-95175-6_2 · Cited by 1
Schwarz, G. L. (2025) · Philosophy Ethics and Humanities in Medicine · doi:10.1186/s13010-025-00198-8 · Cited by 1
“This again leads to “…one of the most troubling results of medicalization [is] that it encourages medical solutions while ignoring or downplaying the social context of complicated problems” [23, 32].”
Flores, E. V., Jacobs, M., Lichtenberg, P. A., et al. (2025) · Journal of Ageing and Longevity · doi:10.3390/jal5040043 · Cited by 1
Threshold of understanding: disease as the interface of lifeworld and science
Galli, C. (2025) · Medicine Health Care and Philosophy · doi:10.1007/s11019-025-10304-4 · Cited by 1
Looking back at resignation syndrome: the rise and fall of a culture-bound endemic
Sallin, K. (2025) · Philosophy Ethics and Humanities in Medicine · doi:10.1186/s13010-025-00209-8 · Cited by 1
“On this conception, medicine as science and practice rather than uncovering an inert landscape of disorders, affects and, on a strict interpretation, creates it [18].”
InfluentialPeriods, Pains, Pills, and Performance—Fighting Blood, Bodies and Biology
AlHashmi, R., Forbes, D., & Matthews, C. R. (2026) · Sociological Forum · doi:10.1111/socf.70058 · Cited by 1
Cape, S. (2026) · Health An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health Illness and Medicine · doi:10.1177/13634593261455073 · Cited by 1
Liu, Z., Fu, D., Liu, Y., & Meng, Y. (2026) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/96543 · Cited by 1
“[A4, September 7, 2023] This transition from being perceived as “normal” to being labeled as “sick” generated emotional distress, as it disrupted deeply ingrained assumptions about selfhood and autonomy [28].”
THE INTRICATE MEANINGS OF HEALTH AND ILLNESS
Cojocaru, D., & Gavrilovici, C. (2015) · Revista română de bioetică · Cited by 1
Pullen, E. L. (2014) · UKnowledge (University of Kentucky) · Cited by 1
Sociología de la evaluación médica: estudio de casos
Carrión, J. J. S. (2013) · Library Open Repository (Universidad Complutense Madrid) · doi:10.5477/cis/reis.141.133 · Cited by 1
Chronic low back pain and the construction of illness identities in women from Kuwait
Abdal, N. (2016) · Manual Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.math.2016.05.205 · Cited by 1
Systemic Means to Subversive Ends: Maintaining the Therapeutic Space as a Unique Encounter
Watts, J. (2015) · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · doi:10.1057/9781137460585_16 · Cited by 1
Vivir con epilepsia: significados construidos por las personas que padecen la enfermedad
Bedoya, A. R. F., & Valencia, M. M. A. (2017) · Avances en Enfermería · doi:10.15446/av.enferm.v35n3.62162 · Cited by 1
Framing the determinants of health and well-being for universal health coverage
Ssengooba, F., & Hongoro, C. (2018) · Cited by 1
Storbjörk, J., Landberg, J., & Room, R. (2020) · Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs · doi:10.1177/1455072520947244 · Cited by 1
A Feminist Perspective on Religion in Polygynous Families in KwaZulu-Natal
Mkhize, Z. V. (2020) · Alternation Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa · doi:10.29086/2519-5476/2020/sp30a8 · Cited by 1
“Ideas about gender and the social practices that gender institutionalises are alterable, indicating that gender is variable from culture to culture and is, therefore, socially constructed (Conrad & Barker 2010).”
Pescosolido, B. A., & Boyer, C. A. (2017) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781316471289.025 · Cited by 1
Ritualizing Madness: Case Files as Sites of Enforced Performativity, 1894-1950
Smith, K. A. (2021) · Canadian Journal of Disability Studies · doi:10.15353/cjds.v10i1.742 · Cited by 1
Sociology and psychology in public health
Quah, S. R. (2021) · doi:10.1093/med/9780198816805.003.0044 · Cited by 1
Reconsidering Embodiment and Language for Illness
Duggan, A. P. (2019) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108325578.006 · Cited by 1
Wellbeing: Alternative Policy Perspectives
Besley, T., & Bucelli, I. (2022) · LSE Press eBooks · doi:10.31389/lsepress.well · Cited by 3
The Interpretive Perspective in Medical Sociology: Part II
Amzat, J., & Razum, O. (2014) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-03986-2_8 · Cited by 1
Schünemann, W. J., Brand, A., König, T., & Ziegler, J. (2022) · Frontiers in Sociology · doi:10.3389/fsoc.2022.884640 · Cited by 1
“Most fundamentally, researchers have put emphasis on the social construction of the risk of contagion (Bury, 1986; Conrad and Barker, 2010).”
BackgroundLandscape of Altered Being: Autopathography and Embodiment in When Breath Becomes Air
Srivastava, S. (2022) · Sanglap Journal of Literary and Cultural Inquiry · doi:10.35684/jlci.2022.8204 · Cited by 1
African Sociology of Health and Well-Being
Amzat, J., Razum, O., & Adaranijo, A. A. P. (2022) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197608494.013.13 · Cited by 1
Public Health, Theory, and Application to Policy and Practice
Placa, V. L. (2022) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781003128373-2 · Cited by 2
Revisiting Methaqualone: Changes Made and Future Lessons Ignored
Griffin, O. H., & Spillane, J. F. (2022) · American Journal of Criminal Justice · doi:10.1007/s12103-022-09700-w · Cited by 1
Lahti, L., & Ojala, H. (2022) · Gerontologia · doi:10.23989/gerontologia.113083 · Cited by 1
Kirby, J., & Nielsen, L. W. (2023) · Canadian Journal of Bioethics · doi:10.7202/1098557ar · Cited by 1
“Social construction “ is a conceptual framework that emphasizes the cultural and historical aspects of phenomena widely thought to be exclusively natural ” (23, p.567).”
BackgroundExpert Power and the Classification of Human Difference
Navon, D. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190848927.013.14 · Cited by 1
Klein, M. J., & DeTora, L. M. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-27665-1_1 · Cited by 1
Meek, D. (2023) · Food Culture & Society · doi:10.1080/15528014.2023.2230080 · Cited by 1
Skowronek, K. (2023) · Prace Językoznawcze · doi:10.31648/pj.9188 · Cited by 1
Nopas, D.-S. (2023) · Asian Journal of Education and Training · doi:10.20448/edu.v9i4.5077 · Cited by 1
“Conrad and Barker (2010) stated that culture is an essential element that determines the conditions in every human society.”
BackgroundMoran, C., Lilly, K., Walsh, A. L., Foreman, R., & Taylor, J. (2023) · Australian Journal of Primary Health · doi:10.1071/py23119 · Cited by 1
“…that understandings of health/illness are socially and culturally produced, and that cultural meanings impact how they are depicted, interpreted and responded to, at individual and structural levels, with real consequences for patients, health care and the recovery process (Conrad and Barker 2010).”
BackgroundA systematic scoping review of how people with ME/CFS use the internet
Shortland, D. L., Fazil, Q., Lavis, A., & Hallett, N. (2024) · Fatigue Biomedicine Health & Behavior · doi:10.1080/21641846.2024.2303887 · Cited by 2
“This shapes how society responds to a given illness which then a ff ects the experience of that illness; the meaning of ME coming about through its interaction in social context [95].”
BackgroundLas metáforas importan: Desentrañando tres proposiciones esenciales
Meza, D. (2024) · Estudios de Filosofía · doi:10.17533/udea.ef.355494 · Cited by 1
Lynne-Joseph, A. (2024) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/00221465241240465 · Cited by 1
“This finding nuances research on lay expertise (Brown 1992; Conrad and Barker 2010), which often analyzes contestation between professional and lay experts alongside issues of credibility, by showing how marginalized populations may rely on lay expertise due to the inability or undesirability of…”
“What Else Explains This Trauma but Porn?” Women Partners of Porn Addicts as Claims-Makers
Ortiz, S. M. (2024) · Sociological Perspectives · doi:10.1177/07311214241264835 · Cited by 1
“…activ-ists, and experts, circulate and contest multiple frames in ways that shape public opinion; public opinion, in turn, can further legitimate these social problems as “real” conditions (Berns 2004; Best 2017; Brunsma, Overfelt, and Picou 2010; Conrad and Barker 2010; Loseke and Best 2003).”
Sangue impuro: especialistas, instituições e autoridade cultural no contexto da Aids no Brasil
Gugliotti, J. P., & Schraiber, L. B. (2024) · Ciência & Saúde Coletiva · doi:10.1590/1413-812320242910.07322023 · Cited by 1
Sims, R., Michaleff, Z. A., Glasziou, P., & Thomas, R. (2025) · BJPsych Open · doi:10.1192/bjo.2025.5 · Cited by 1
“11 14 Despite the potential impacts of screening and subsequent condition-labelling, even in their mildest form, it is not known whether or how general practitioners (GPs) discuss these complex issues with patients or whether patients are aware or adequately informed of the potential consequences…”
MEDİKALİZASYON İLE İLGİLİ YAPILMIŞ ÇALIŞMALARIN BİBLİYOMETRİK ANALİZİ: WEB OF SCIENCE ÖRNEĞİ
GÜNEŞ, H., Erdem, R., Tatlıdil, R., Ulu, Ş. P., & Ertümer, A. G. (2025) · Hacettepe sağlık idaresi dergisi · doi:10.61859/hacettepesid.1592993 · Cited by 1
Governing through Health: The Biomedical and Public Health Management of Drug Using Bodies
Szott, K. (2015) · Syracuse University Libraries (Syracuse University) · Cited by 1
Guzman, V., & Guzmán, C. E. V. (2012) · UNM’s Digital Repository (University of New Mexico) · Cited by 1
The Interpretive Perspective in Medical Sociology: Part I
Amzat, J., & Razum, O. (2014) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-03986-2_7 · Cited by 1
Richardson, E. (2014) · Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · Cited by 1
Castro, R. (2013) · Idéias · doi:10.20396/ideias.v4i1.8649396 · Cited by 2
Livingston, K., Sutherland, K. M., & Sardi, L. M. (2014) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/s0275-495920140000032018 · Cited by 1
Assessing Health and Quality of Care
Ervin, D. A., & Rubin, I. L. (2016) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-18096-0_146 · Cited by 1
“Just as our culture dictates which illnesses are stigmatized and which are not, so too does our culture defi ne what is considered ‘good health’ [ 2 ].”
BackgroundSwayne-Encalada, M. J., Segura-Nuñez, P., Huamán-Guerrero, M. O., et al. (2017) · Revista de la Facultad de Medicina Humana · doi:10.25176/rfmh.v17.n1.745 · Cited by 1
Conclusions: Thinking About the Future of Mental Health
O’Reilly, M. J., & Lester, J. N. (2017) · The Language of Mental Health · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-60095-6_11 · Cited by 1
Clinical Research in International Settings
Olopade, C. O., Tagle, M., & Olopade, O. I. (2017) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-849905-4.00008-3 · Cited by 1
Markowitz, B., Pritlove, C., Mukerji, G., Lavery, J. V., Parsons, J. A., & Advani, A. (2018) · Diabetes · doi:10.2337/db18-842-p · Cited by 1
“…that contextualizes illness within the broader social environment that surrounds a patient’s life (Gray, 1999), while social constructionism is a theory that puts forth the notion that people make sense of illness through their interactions and relationships with others (Conrad & Barker, 2010).”
BackgroundKislyakov, A., & Mayes, R. (2019) · World Medical & Health Policy · doi:10.1002/wmh3.300 · Cited by 1
Lyme Disease: Giving Voice to the Illness Experience-An Exploratory Descriptive Study
Kulkin, H. S. (2019) · American International Journal of Social Science · doi:10.30845/aijss.v8n3p1 · Cited by 1
“As noted by Conrad and Barker (2010), contested illnesses typify a unique type of chronic illness.”
BackgroundDes traces humaines dans le Big Data : du diagnostic médical à la transduction machinique du corps
Colloc, J., & Bonenfant, M. (2017) · CNRS Éditions eBooks · doi:10.4000/books.editionscnrs.29851 · Cited by 1
Reflections on autonomy in travel for cross border reproductive care
Stuhmcke, A. (2021) · Bioethics News · doi:10.1007/s40592-020-00125-x · Cited by 1
Community Mental Health Care Organizations
Dobransky, K. M. (2017) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781316471289.026 · Cited by 1
The Mental Health Consumers/Survivors Movement in the US
McLean, A. (2017) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781316471289.031 · Cited by 1
Makowska, M., & Nowakowski, M. (2021) · Konteksty Społeczne · doi:10.17951/ks.2020.8.2.206-233 · Cited by 1
Jalan, A. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-16-2320-2_6 · Cited by 1
Launer, J. (2020) · Postgraduate Medical Journal · doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-139298 · Cited by 1
Giving Voice to Social Values in Achieving Universal Health Coverage
Majdzadeh, R., Sajadi, H. S., van de Pas, R., & Vedadhir, A. (2022) · Integrated science · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-96814-4_28 · Cited by 1
Tucker, A., & Kearns, G. (2022) · Social & Cultural Geography · doi:10.1080/14649365.2022.2130418 · Cited by 1
“…health we intend three sets of relations: the ways that values influence the perception of disease, the social construction of health (Arnowitz, 1991; Conrad & Barker, 2010); the ways that socio-economic inequalities (Marmot & Allen, 2014) and stigma (Hatzenbuehler et al., 2013) influence…”
BackgroundUnderstanding the Social Determinants of Health: Implications for Health Sociology
Gurmeet, K., & Mohammadi, A. (2023) · Jurnal Perilaku Kesehatan Terpadu · doi:10.61963/jpkt.v2i1.37 · Cited by 1
“Health and illness, according to Conrad and Barker (2010), are social constructions that result from interactions between people, medical professionals, and larger societal institutions.”
BackgroundThe Expectation of Emotional Strength and its Impact on African American Women's Weight
Rivers, N. L. (2015) · ScholarWorks (Walden University) · Cited by 1
Structure Matters: Examining Illness Behavior Using Parsons's Sick Role
Byrd, A. D. (2013) · TopSCHOLAR (Western Kentucky University) · Cited by 1
Wainwright, E. M. (2013) · The University of Bath Online Publications Store (The University of Bath) · Cited by 1
Charbonneau, D. H. (2010) · Human Biology · Cited by 1
Chronic Illness Narratives Through Facebook
Hinson, K. (2014) · The Scholarship East Carolina University's Institutional Repository (East Carolina University) · Cited by 1
Kelley, A. D. (2025) · Library, Museums and Press - UDSpace (University of Delaware) · doi:10.58088/5e1k-a742 · Cited by 1
Cardoso, J. P. (2016) · CUNY Academic Works (City University of New York) · Cited by 1
Metadata
- Authors
- Conrad, P., & Barker, K. K.
- Affiliations
- Brandeis University (US)
- Oregon State University (US)
- ORCID
- Barker, Kristin K.
- Venue
- Journal of Health and Social Behavior
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2010-03
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 1_suppl
- Pages
- S67-S79
- ISSN
- 0022-1465 (ISSN-L)
- 2150-6000
- OpenAlex
- W2105392510
- Semantic Scholar
- daba8e41984f917378dc8db2be9f01f2883d3625
- Cited by
- 888
- References
- 82
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 66 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 65 · 2022: 77 · 2021: 81 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 79 · 2018: 57 · 2017: 95 · 2016: 52 · 2015: 60 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 20
- FWCI
- 13.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Health and Social Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Medicine, History, and Philosophy
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health, Medicine and Society
- Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative research in health
- Keywords
- social construction of illness, medical sociology, illness experience, claims-making, health policy, policy-relevant research
- MeSH terms
- Culture, Disease, Health Policy, Health Services Research, Humans, Public Opinion, Social Problems, Sociology, Medical, Knowledge
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Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
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