The Study of Identity in Health Psychology

Locke, Abigail; Montague, Jane

Abstract

In this chapter we consider the ways in which the study of identities has been approached in Critical Health Psychology. Critical approaches to health psychology move away from individualistic concerns to consider the ways in which wider social-psychological, socio-political and socio-cultural processes may influence the choices available to us in relation to our health and well-being practices. Using exemplars from different aspects of health psychology research, we consider the enacted, situated, relational, and embodied nature of identities. To illustrate the work on identities in critical health psychology, our focus in the chapter moves to focusing on women’s identities in healthcare contexts, noting also the gendered aspects and expectations within these contexts. Firstly, we consider early motherhood, using infant feeding as an example, and consider the ways in which identities are enacted, situated, relational, and embodied in infant feeding discourses. Secondly, we focus on women’s health, particularly the decisions made following mastectomy and their consequences in relation to changed identities. We discuss the ways in which women negotiate their embodied identities and the ways in which choices made are intertwined with relationships both with self and others. We conclude that our examples draw attention to the multiplicity of identities in everyday life, demonstrating how they are played out in a variety of ways. Furthermore, we argue that identities should form a key area of study within critical health psychology, specifically to consider the differential effects and experiences of actors within social and health settings.

• Publication Date: Oct 31, 2021
• Deposit Date: May 26, 2023
• Pages: 508-528
• Book Title: The Cambridge Handbook of Identity
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108755146.027