Beyond my Control’
Dealing with the Existential Uncertainty of Cancer in Online Texts
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12399352 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kaja Kvaale (0000-0001-9579-2095, University of Oslo, corresponding author), Olaug S Lian (0000-0002-5752-1486, UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Hilde Bondevik (0000-0002-7608-7216, University of Oslo) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 192-208 |
| Publication date | 2022-08-24 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Illness Crisis & Loss (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1054-1373 • E-ISSN: 1552-6968 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10541373221122874 |
| OpenAlex | W4292870122 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 29 |
In this paper, we explore how existential aspects of being diagnosed and living with cancer are shared in stories that are publicly communicated online. Through a narrative analysis of online texts and blogs, we explore how people deal with their cancer experiences, how cultural norms about illness are expressed in their stories and why they write and publish their stories online. We found that the writers described cancer diagnosis as a defining moment in their lives. They portrayed it as a crisis that was followed by unpredictability, doubt, grief and loss, fitting with the term ‘existential uncertainty’. Writing and sharing their stories online, connecting with others and staying positive were ways of dealing with this uncertainty. These naturally occurring data offer insights into phenomena that are not easily accessed in a clinical setting; moreover, they provide unique insights into the cultural norms in which online illness narratives are embedded
Epistemology · Existentialism · Grief · Linguistics · Narrative · Online community · Political science · Psychotherapist · Publication · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Digital Storytelling and Education · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Mental Health via Writing · Psychology · Social Psychology
The Wounded Storyteller
Illness as Narrative
Living With Cancer
Zero Comments
Networked Cancer
Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences
Cancer Experience and its Narration
Affective measures
The Transformative Potential of Online Communication
Cancer diagnosis as discursive capture
The existential cancer journey
United We Stand
Thinking differently about thinking positive
The breast-cancer-ization of cancer survivorship
Illness and the Internet
Negotiating uncertainty in clinical encounters
Illness Narratives Revisited
Chronic illness as biographical disruption
Existential and Clinical Uncertainty in the Medical Encounter
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |