Alan Radley is Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology in the Department of Social Sciences, Loughborough University. He is the author of several books, including Prospects of Heart Surgery (1988) and In Social Relationships (1991). He is also editor of Worlds of Illness (1993) and co-author of Ideological Dilemmas (1988).
Incorporating material from medical sociology, health psychology, and medical anthropology, Making Sense of Illness explores the ways we cope with both short-term and chronic health problems. Author Alan Radley identifies--and assesses the impact of--our responses to illness, considering the possible mitigating effects of such elements as personal beliefs and emotionally supportive relationships; he also acknowledges the negative effects that stress, resulting from a variety of cultural as well as personal factors, may cause. With its clear and lucid style, this keen work relates to the reader's own experience. A comprehensive introduction to relevant research--and a critical commentary on explanations of health and illness in social life, this book will be essential reading for students of health sciences, psychology, and sociology "It is hard to imagine a more important project for nurses that trying to understand how people make sense of health and illness. This is a book that will certainly be of assistance in achieving such and understanding. . . . It is written in a clear accessible style but does not trivialize the issues, and the author provides a wealth of suggestions for further reading." --Nursing Times Agenda
