Metaphor and illness experience: A comparative analysis of metaphors in male and female cancer patient narratives

This thesis investigates the use of WAR and JOURNEY metaphors in male and female cancer patient narratives. The narratives were analyzed to see whether the use of these metaphors could reveal a difference in the way men and women experience illness. The metaphors were analyzed to see whether they were used in a positive/negative or empowering/disempowering way. The results of the study revealed that both men and women used JOURNEY metaphors more frequently than WAR metaphors to describe illness experience. Overall, relatively speaking, men used WAR and JOURNEY metaphors as frequently as women to describe illness experience. However, the female narratives were generally longer than the male narratives, which caused women to use more metaphors absolutely speaking. Positive and empowering WAR and JOURNEY metaphors were used most frequently in the narratives to describe illness experience for both men and women. Contrary to findings of previous research, the results revealed that both...Show moreThis thesis investigates the use of WAR and JOURNEY metaphors in male and female cancer patient narratives. The narratives were analyzed to see whether the use of these metaphors could reveal a difference in the way men and women experience illness. The metaphors were analyzed to see whether they were used in a positive/negative or empowering/disempowering way. The results of the study revealed that both men and women used JOURNEY metaphors more frequently than WAR metaphors to describe illness experience. Overall, relatively speaking, men used WAR and JOURNEY metaphors as frequently as women to describe illness experience. However, the female narratives were generally longer than the male narratives, which caused women to use more metaphors absolutely speaking. Positive and empowering WAR and JOURNEY metaphors were used most frequently in the narratives to describe illness experience for both men and women. Contrary to findings of previous research, the results revealed that both men and women use WAR metaphors more frequently in a positive and empowering way than in a negative and disempowering way to describe illness experience. The results of this study contribute to existing research and also provide new findings in this topic area. The findings of the research could benefit both patients and healthcare professionals and create an awareness of the differences between men and women in the way they experience illness in relation to metaphor use.Show less

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Metaphor and illness experience: A comparative analysis of metaphors in male and female cancer patient narratives