Narratives: Personal And Social Challenges

Who we are and how we fit into society is defined by many factors, but one of the greatest factors is our health. For a large number of people illness is not a challenge, and understanding how it affects others is difficult if they have not been affected by illness themselves. For those who are affected by illness it is easy to feel alone, or that your personal and social identity is being challenged or called into question. Narratives are a way for people who are considered “ill” by societies standards to “...accomplish a number of important goals, serving one’s personal and social identities. These writings put a face on disability” (Ryan, 2006). The two articles written by Freeman (1997) bring into view the lives and challenges of Jason …show more content…
David, Sophia’s counselor takes to a new approach in order to help Sophia regain control of her own body, rather than allowing her to become captive by the itches affects. The fact that when her mind is busy and the itch is not so bad, pointed out to David that her anxiety was in fact part of the issue causing the overbearing itch. In the end, the idea of mind over matter is essentially what David is proposing as an attempt at controlling the illness. A big step that begins to allow Sophia the power back, is when the realization occurs that she is capable of using her mind to change the way she viewed her illness, and that she had started to do so at points throughout the day without realizing it. The reason for Sophia 's visit to the counselor stems from a problem that happened at school, when a student within her gym class teased her about the way her eczema looked. Changing the physical problem of the eczema is challenging, but changing the way it is thought of, and how it affects daily life is feasible . Within the article Sophia stated “ I just tried to put the itch at the back of my mind...., My train of thought wasn’t on my skin” (Freeman,1997). The realization of this ability demonstrated or even reminded Sophia that she has determination within her, consequently her personal challenges began to diminish allowing the focus to extended to the social challenges as well. These social challenges controlling Sophia are brought about by the fact that her itchiness causes her sleep to be disrupted, allowing only two hours maximum per night . As a result, she misses school and in turn time with friends, which can help to solidify a person’s identity. With the expertise from her counselor, Sophia begins to regard her itch as a person, who she can share her feelings