The subjective experience of health and illness in Ocuituco: A case study

Abstract

This sociological study aims to understand the subjective experience of health and illness of the inhabitants of Ocuituco (Mexico). This interpretation is made in connection with the social and subjective contexts of this town. Four factors characterize Ocuituco's social context: (1) economic deprivation (poverty); (2) male domination (patriarchy); (3) a process of medicalization; and (4) a decline of traditional medicine. Ocuitucans view their world ( subjective context) with: (1) a sense of being exploited; (2) a sense of being at the bottom of the social scale; (3) a sense of uncertainty; (4) a familiarity with a patriarchal and violent order; (5) the negative view that individuals have of themselves; and (6) a sense of change in the community. The literature review differentiates between normative and interpretive sociological approaches. The analysis is based on 74 in-depth interviews with women and men, conducted in two stages (1988 and 1992). Individuals' accounts constitute a double indicator: they express individuals' subjective experience of health and illness while at the same time they also index the social order of which they are a product. The analysis comprises both the concept and the experience of health and illness. An analysis is made on the subjective experience of symptoms and causes of disease. The main findings refer to the parallel between individuals' general view of the world (subjective context) and their view of health and illness. Ocuitucans perceive health as an unlikely achievement in a world full of constraints. This is linked to the existence of elaborated conceptualizations of health in this town. The notion of strength is central in the subjective experience of illness. A sense of uncertainty is evident in relation to symptoms and the causes of disease. ‘Endurance’ is a central notion regarding both the process of becoming sick and the process of getting well. This paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of theorizing the link between social order and subjective experience of health, considering the existence of intermediate domains such as individuals' subjective context.