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Routledge Advances in Sociology
Self-care
This book examines the widespread cultural and political consequences of the proliferation of popular health advice. It provides a key theoretical contribution to the sociological study of health and embodiment by illuminating the processes of social change that have transformed how individuals care for themselves and the ways in which power and desire now shape health behaviour.
Self-Care will be of essential interest to students and academics working within the fields of sociology, health and social welfare.
Self-Care will be of essential interest to students and academics working within the fields of sociology, health and social welfare.
212 pages, Paperback
First published May 22, 2013
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January 12, 2025
Much more book here than I was expecting. Solid read.
Looks at history of health and self-care practices, at different levels (individuals, groups, societal) and through different lenses (philosophical, psychological, spiritual, sociological).
Really interesting overview and commentary on the developing dynamic of how we perceive our 'self' as individuals and in relation to society. We seem to be more focused on self development, as we've become more individualized and atomistic.
Are we becoming a more narcissistic culture? This author suggests that we may not be any more than we've ever been, but our private concerns are just now more public, openly discussed.
The divide between private and public life is increasingly hard to identify.
"To some social critics, the preponderance of self-help texts represented a
growing introversion and the emergence of a self-obsessed culture. This was
hardly a ‘withdrawal’ into the self, however. Rather, the reflexive concerns of
the private person were made very public in the mass media. And as the private
issues of the self exploded into public life, numerous political and therapeutic
self-care philosophies responded to the anxieties caused by the
detraditionalization of lifestyle"
The author does suggest some solutions for effective mediation of self-care practices and healthcare in the last chapter. For sure we need more contextual based intervention. A big problem is much research (and practice) is becoming increasingly isolated and impractical in reality. Makes me think of Talebs term - there is a lack of "Skin in the game".
Some great references in this book for further reading.
Looks at history of health and self-care practices, at different levels (individuals, groups, societal) and through different lenses (philosophical, psychological, spiritual, sociological).
Really interesting overview and commentary on the developing dynamic of how we perceive our 'self' as individuals and in relation to society. We seem to be more focused on self development, as we've become more individualized and atomistic.
Are we becoming a more narcissistic culture? This author suggests that we may not be any more than we've ever been, but our private concerns are just now more public, openly discussed.
The divide between private and public life is increasingly hard to identify.
"To some social critics, the preponderance of self-help texts represented a
growing introversion and the emergence of a self-obsessed culture. This was
hardly a ‘withdrawal’ into the self, however. Rather, the reflexive concerns of
the private person were made very public in the mass media. And as the private
issues of the self exploded into public life, numerous political and therapeutic
self-care philosophies responded to the anxieties caused by the
detraditionalization of lifestyle"
The author does suggest some solutions for effective mediation of self-care practices and healthcare in the last chapter. For sure we need more contextual based intervention. A big problem is much research (and practice) is becoming increasingly isolated and impractical in reality. Makes me think of Talebs term - there is a lack of "Skin in the game".
Some great references in this book for further reading.
Displaying 1 of 1 review