Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

6229

Date

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Sociology

Concentration

Sociology

Committee Chair

Carol Rambo

Abstract

This is an autoethnographic account of the experience of living with chronic illness and a liminal status. This reflexive study is divided into three parts: 1) Lupus, the defining diagnosis, 2) Dis-ease, identity and reevaluation 3) Dis-identification, chronic dis-ease, and liminality. Throughout, music lyrics and my own poetry are used to represent my fluctuating identity. Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is a rare yet complex disease. The etiology is constantly questioned by doctors and not readily seen; it is both contested and invisible. Patients with this illness are highly stigmatized, and their psychological welfare can become neglected in a biomedical system that does not account for the overall well-being of patients. This case study addresses some potential consequences for an identity tarnished in this way. Misdiagnosis is sorely understudied throughout the literature and fails to account for the lived experience of the patient. This study seeks to fill these gaps.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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