The turn to inwardness and cancer survivorship

Abstract

In this paper I examine the relationship between the notion of inwardness—the idea of attending to oneself as inner—and the subjective experience of cancer in western societies. I argue that this historically limited mode of self-interpretation is rooted in the Augustinian theoretical formulation of personhood in terms of inner and outer, and that it is from within this frame of reference that modem persons attempt to find their bearings. Referring to a study of cancer survivors—here, people who have experienced one episode of cancer and have hopes, though no assurances, that the disease will not recur—I argue that individual responses to this existential situation can be profoundly affected by the inwardness of radical reflexivity. This frame of reference can take on a heightened significance for cancer survivors when a connection is made between the notion of an inner self and personal health. Taking this into account deepens our understanding of how cancer survivors reflect on, and creatively negotiate, the social contexts that they confront.

Key Words:

• cancer survivors
• emotion
• inwardness
• realism
• reflexivity
• risk.