Thinking cancer metaphorically: a sociocultural perspective study on the cancer patients’ narratives
Cancer is a complex disease that is usually difficult to talk about. Many cancer patients turn to metaphors in describing the disease and their cancer experiences as this allows them to communicate those experiences more effectively. While much research has been carried out on examining the diff...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2020
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17297/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17297/1/34007-148159-1-PB.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848814278870564864 |
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| author | Liaw, Monica Kah-Pei Collin Jerome, |
| author_facet | Liaw, Monica Kah-Pei Collin Jerome, |
| author_sort | Liaw, Monica Kah-Pei |
| building | UKM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Cancer is a complex disease that is usually difficult to talk about. Many cancer patients turn to metaphors in describing
the disease and their cancer experiences as this allows them to communicate those experiences more effectively. While
much research has been carried out on examining the different types of metaphors used by cancer patients, much more
needs to be known about the metaphors used by them in relation to their sociocultural background and cognition. This
study seeks to address this knowledge gap by examining the metaphors used among cancer patients to describe the
disease and their cancer experiences. Most importantly, the study aims to investigate how these metaphors are shaped by
the patients’ sociocultural background. Using the Metaphorical Identification Procedure (MIP), the study analysed the
data collected from 31 cancer patients from Kuching, Sarawak through semi-structured interview. The results show that
the patients turned to “structural”, “conspiracy” and “journey” metaphors and several other metaphors to describe
the disease and their cancer experiences. The results also show that the cancer metaphors used by these patients were
mostly shaped by their personal life experiences and their sociocultural understanding. The study concludes that the
findings could have implications on the current debates over the use of cancer metaphors in oncology and help to drive
some recommendations. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T00:31:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | oai:generic.eprints.org:17297 |
| institution | Universiti Kebangasaan Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T00:31:33Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | oai:generic.eprints.org:172972021-08-11T04:12:40Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17297/ Thinking cancer metaphorically: a sociocultural perspective study on the cancer patients’ narratives Liaw, Monica Kah-Pei Collin Jerome, Cancer is a complex disease that is usually difficult to talk about. Many cancer patients turn to metaphors in describing the disease and their cancer experiences as this allows them to communicate those experiences more effectively. While much research has been carried out on examining the different types of metaphors used by cancer patients, much more needs to be known about the metaphors used by them in relation to their sociocultural background and cognition. This study seeks to address this knowledge gap by examining the metaphors used among cancer patients to describe the disease and their cancer experiences. Most importantly, the study aims to investigate how these metaphors are shaped by the patients’ sociocultural background. Using the Metaphorical Identification Procedure (MIP), the study analysed the data collected from 31 cancer patients from Kuching, Sarawak through semi-structured interview. The results show that the patients turned to “structural”, “conspiracy” and “journey” metaphors and several other metaphors to describe the disease and their cancer experiences. The results also show that the cancer metaphors used by these patients were mostly shaped by their personal life experiences and their sociocultural understanding. The study concludes that the findings could have implications on the current debates over the use of cancer metaphors in oncology and help to drive some recommendations. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2020 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17297/1/34007-148159-1-PB.pdf Liaw, Monica Kah-Pei and Collin Jerome, (2020) Thinking cancer metaphorically: a sociocultural perspective study on the cancer patients’ narratives. AKADEMIKA, 90 (3). pp. 91-103. ISSN 0126-5008 https://ejournal.ukm.my/akademika/issue/view/1298 |
| spellingShingle | Liaw, Monica Kah-Pei Collin Jerome, Thinking cancer metaphorically: a sociocultural perspective study on the cancer patients’ narratives |
| title | Thinking cancer metaphorically: a sociocultural perspective study on the cancer patients’ narratives |
| title_full | Thinking cancer metaphorically: a sociocultural perspective study on the cancer patients’ narratives |
| title_fullStr | Thinking cancer metaphorically: a sociocultural perspective study on the cancer patients’ narratives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thinking cancer metaphorically: a sociocultural perspective study on the cancer patients’ narratives |
| title_short | Thinking cancer metaphorically: a sociocultural perspective study on the cancer patients’ narratives |
| title_sort | thinking cancer metaphorically: a sociocultural perspective study on the cancer patients’ narratives |
| url | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17297/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17297/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17297/1/34007-148159-1-PB.pdf |