Medicalization as form of the body discourse

Abstract

Medicalization as form of the body discourse

The power of contemporary medicine and social phenomena related to it may be perceived in various ways. One of them is medicalisation. Those who criticize it, focus on its negative consequences including the iatrogenic ones. One of many effects of medicalisation is creation of new diagnosis and therapies. Some of them are especially controversial. Medicalised discourse can be perceived as one of the sophisticated methods of body control and discipline. However, when we visit a physician for consultation, or are admitted to hospital and we subject our body to certain procedures, we rather do not think that we are often fully controlled by a specific social construction. Our aim is to consider those issues and we are aware that they frequently cause various, sometimes contrary reactions. We will attempt to use the presented diagnostic results to illustrate the discourse and social control affecting individuals.