Keywords

critical theory, hysteria, participatory research, qualitative inquiry, somatization

 

Authors

  1. Soltis-Jarrett, Victoria PhD, APRN,BC

Abstract

The concepts of somatization and hysteria have been used in nursing, medicine, and healthcare to describe and explain the "unfounded attributes" of women's expressions of pain and discomfort. This study, grounded in poststructural ideologies, extends the boundaries of participatory research in psychiatric-mental health nursing and, thus, developed a series of methodological techniques coined "Interactionality" that then challenged the concept of somatization. This article focuses on the philosophical and conceptual assumptions of Interactionality, and introduces the notion of a double-voiced discourse as a means of communicating the analysis and findings of critical research.