Date of Award
4-1994
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Sociology
First Advisor
Dr. Morton O. Wagenfeld
Second Advisor
Dr. James Peterson
Third Advisor
Dr. Gerald Markle
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
The 1980's witnessed the rise and decline of a popular diagnosis of fatigue known as "chronic fatigue syndrome" (CFS). The phenomenon was first observed in the U.S. at Lake Tahoe, Nevada and was thought to be a chronic form of infectious mononucleosis. While the labels used to describe this syndrome are new, the syndrome itself is not. To date there has been no conclusive etiological work, and the syndrome is still an exercise in speculative pathology.
This thesis will use the theory of social constructionism to help explain the waxing and waning interest in CFS and CFS-like diseases, as well as the powerful appeal of such a label. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a prime example of both the medicalization of deviance and the power of interest groups and moral entrepreneurs to make the labels health and ill-health relevant to a larger segment of the population.
Recommended Citation
Heinonen, Lawrence G., "The Social Construction of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" (1994). Masters Theses. 3673.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3673