Abstract:
Driven by a neoliberal sociopolitical climate, concepts of health in contemporary New
Zealand society emphasise a process of becoming healthy through healthist responsibilisation.
An individual’s ability to achieve a healthy lifestyle and cure chronic conditions is seen as
something that can be achieved with the right balance of technology, medicalisation and
individual effort. Using a critical qualitative orientation and drawing on Critical Disability Theory
I examine how people understand cures and treatments in the context of chronic conditions.
This master’s research incorporated two datasets; online content around chronic condition
treatment and management which formed the basis for a vignette study in which 188
participants answered questions about fictionalised characters. In a reflexive Thematic Analysis
of both datasets together, I identified two overarching analytic stories. First, chronicity was
constructed as something that was hostile to individuals, whānau and society as a whole.
Secondly, chronic illness was constructed as needing to be defeated though a curative process.
Together these construct a “hostile ecosite”, where a relentless search for “cure” is the only
way a “responsible” a person with a chronic condition can be socially acceptable. By promoting
a more inclusive and accepting perspective, we can recognise that a life with chronicity can be
just as acceptable and meaningful as any other. By valuing the lived experiences of those with
chronicity and elevating their voices, we can work towards a society that embraces diversity
and recognises the inherent worth and dignity of every individual, regardless of their health
status.
