'I have MS. I am not MS.': Disequilibrium, Detachment, and Dichotomy in the Construction of a Multiple Sclerosis Identity

Author:

• Joshua Frederick Hoops (Washington State University)

Abstract:

This paper examines the ways in which people who have Multiple Sclerosis construct their "condition" as a cultural identity. The researcher utilized participant observation, semi-structured interviews, ethnographic interviews, and textual analysis in this investigation. MS identity is discursively constructed in terms of disequilibrium, discordance, detachment, dichotomized performativity, and diminished self. This study expounds on postmodern research that articulates identity as fragmented, multiplicitous, unstable, and contested.