1st Edition

Humor and the Healing Arts A Multimethod Analysis of Humor Use in Health Care

By Athena du Pré Copyright 1998
240 Pages
by Routledge

240 Pages
by Routledge

240 Pages
by Routledge

Offering a social scientific look at humor's role in medical transactions, this volume is based on extensive field study in seven medical settings. It includes excerpts from dozens of actual conversations between patients and caregivers. Analysis of these episodes reveals that humor is a practical tool used to meet many medical objectives. It is used by patients to good-naturedly complain and to... Read more
Contents: Preface. Part I: Background. Introduction. Related Literature In Health Communication. Related Humor Literature. Conceptual Foundations. Overview of Humor in Health Care Settings. Part II: The Nature of Funny. About Phenomenology. The Essence of Funny. Funny in Relation to Health Care. Part III: Tones, Functions, and Topics of Medical Setting Humor. The Ethnographic Approach. Torture by Hickey Machine: We're All in This Together. Discreet Humor in a Breast Care Center. Empathic Humor In a Doctor's Office. Overview and Significance of Humor in Medical Settings. Part IV: Humor and Appropriateness. The Rules of the Humor Game. Humor and the Code of Dignity. Humor and the Code of Compassion. Overview and Significance of Humor and Appropriateness. Part V: Humor Makes Sense of Problematic Situations. Ethnomethodological Approach. Candid Camera and Gestalt Psychology. Playful Management of Three Dilemmas. Laughter-Coated Complaints. Part VI: Conclusions. Summary. A Few Cautions. Limitations and Strengths. Suggestions for Application. Parting Observations. Appendices: The Relationship Between Conversational Context and Structure. Transcription Guide. Discovery Model. Philosophy Statement.

Biography

du Pré, Athena