Eu não sou homem mais: Representações sociais de corpo para homens após o adoecimento por câncer da próstata

• Autor(a) principal: Alberto Mesaque Martins
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFMG
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1843/BUBD-9WXGC5
• topic: Corpo; Neoplasias; Representações Sociais; Masculinidade; Próstata Câncer Aspectos psicológicos; Psicologia social; Representações sociais; Saúde; Psicologia

Even today, the cancer in its many forms is regarded as an important Public Health problem, challenging managers and public policymakers around the world. Although it has similar incidence rates between men and women, is evidenced the higher mortality from cancer in Brazilian males, especially related to prostate cancer, thus indicating the greater vulnerability of men to this disease. Despite constant changes in gender relations, there is still the representation of men as strong and brave, aggressive and invulnerable that opens little space for expressions of limitations and for them to engage in self-care practices. Thus, the adherence to preventive cancer screening and to oncological treatment, as well as the sickening process, has been pointed out as remarkable experiences, they have been pointed out as powerful experiences, which are opposed to the hegemonic masculinity model. During oncological treatment is recurrent that men find a series of body changes, requiring the construction of new ways of designing and using their bodies daily. During oncological treatment is recurrent that men find a series of body changes, requiring the construction of new ways of designing and using their bodies daily. From the perspective of Qualitative Research, and anchored on the assumptions of the Social Representations Theory and the Gender Studies, this study aims to identify and analyze the social representations of body for men after the illness from prostate cancer. Narrative interviews were conducted with 08 men with ages ranging from 50 and 70 years, diagnosed with this disease and who had undergone oncological treatment, at least one year. The interviews looked explore the narratives of men about the illness process of cancer and oncological treatment, the perception of the body changes, the psychosocial implications of the new corporeality, the social representations of the body and also the way these guys build their representations. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Approach. The results show that before the illness, the participants represented their bodies as strong, sturdy and healthy taking in the hegemonic masculinity model an important anchorage point for these representations. The absence of symptoms that cause bodily discomforts contributed to the idea of not have anything. The search for health services only occurred after the manifestation of the first symptoms and its exacerbations, which limited their daily actions and change their daily lives. Participants mentioned the illness by prostate cancer and oncological treatment proposals, in particular the prostatectomy, as a remarkable experience that producer of great physical and psychological discomfort. After the illness, the men began to represent their bodies as fragile, sick and weak. Those interviewed point to the impact of body changes, especially those related to sexual and urological dysfunctions in ways of thinking, feeling and acting in relation to his masculinity. Accordingly, the limitations imposed by illness and oncological treatments are opposed to the hegemonic masculinity model, favoring the feeling of being less a man than before the illness. Although it is configured as a sad experience and difficult of being supported, the illness by cancer and oncological treatment also contributes to men rework their conceptions of their bodies and at the same time, favored the construction of new ways of thinking and exercise their masculinity.