Constructions of chronic illness Original Research Article

Interest in chronic illness as an area for research and writing is increasing across a diverse range of disciplines. Initially of interest to medicine, chronic illness is now studied by social scientists, psychologists and health professions (for example, nurses). Predominantly, the individuals affected by particular chronic illnesses have been the central interest in the body of work relating to chronic illness. The physical, psychological and social effects of chronic illness feature as major emphases for distinguishing individual variations from the ‘norm’. By exploring current constructions of the major perspectives of chronic illness discourses of normalisation, individualism and science are revealed as privileged and dominant in nursing practice.