Date of Award
4-1998
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Sociology
First Advisor
Dr. Jerry Markle
Second Advisor
Dr. Paula Brush
Third Advisor
Dr. Vyachelslav Karpov
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADHD) is frequently depicted in the popular culture as a biologically based syndrome which causes substantial numbers of children to become hyperactive. The research questions in this study ask if these concerns are legitimated by generally accepted medical knowledge? The study's theoretical framework combines notions of social constructivism and the sociology of scientific knowledge. My data were editorials published in medical journals since 1974 that had hyperactivity as their subject. I found that hyperactivity did not become a major concern within general medicine until Benjamin Feingold (1974) suggested that it was caused by food additives, and could be treated by a simple diet plan. Secondly, I determined that there is not now, nor has there ever been, a consensus among the various healthcare professions as how to interpret and treat hyperactive behavior.
Recommended Citation
Colyer, Corey J., "The Life and Times of a Fact: A Sociological Analysis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" (1998). Masters Theses. 3462.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3462