Main description:

This book examines the widespread cultural and political consequences of the proliferation of popular health advice. It provides a key theoretical contribution to the sociological study of health and embodiment by illuminating the processes of social change that have transformed how individuals care for themselves and the ways in which power and desire now shape health behaviour.
Self-Care will be of essential interest to students and academics working within the fields of sociology, health and social welfare.

Contents:

1. Introduction. You are Your Own Saviour and Your Own Worst Enemy 2. Learning to Care for One's Self 3. Sending the Health Message 4. Natural Alternatives 5. Self-Care and Anti-Institutional Politics 6. The Nagging State 7. Narcissism and Self-Care: Theorising America's Obsession with Mundane Health Behaviour 8. Governing One's Self 9. Reflexivity, Rationalisation and Health Risks 10. Technological Salvation or More Human Solutions 11. Conclusions: Towards a Social-Ecological Approach to Self-Care Promotion