Health Psychology, Embodiment and the Question of Vulnerability

Abstract

The topic of the body is now firmly on the agenda for psychology, as it has been for sociology for some time. What contribution will health psychology make to this debate? This article argues that the biomedical view of the physical body is inappropriate for a psychology addressing the key concerns of suffering and healing. Instead, health psychology needs to theorize what it means to be embodied in the context of illness and of health care. To do this requires investigation of the practical relationships between staff and patients as well as of experiences of sufferers. By reflecting critically upon the relationship between clinical practice and the conceptualization of the body, a health psychology embracing the idea of embodiment becomes possible.