HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Playing patient, playing doctor: Munchausen syndrome, clinical S/M, and ruptures of medical power.

Abstract
This article deploys sadomasochism as a framework for understanding medical practice on an institutional level. By examining the case of the factitious illness Munchausen syndrome, this article analyzes the operations of power in the doctor-patient relationship through the trope of role-playing. Because Munchausen syndrome causes a disruption to the dyadic relationship between physicians and patients, a lens of sadomasochism highlights dynamics of power in medical practice that are often obscured in everyday practice. Specifically, this article illustrates how classification and diagnosis are concrete manifestations of the mobilization of medical power.
AuthorsJill A Fisher
JournalThe Journal of medical humanities (J Med Humanit) Vol. 27 Issue 3 Pg. 135-49 ( 2006) ISSN: 1041-3545 [Print] United States
PMID16817003 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
Topics
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder (psychology)
  • Humans
  • Knowledge
  • Masochism (psychology)
  • Motivation
  • Munchausen Syndrome (diagnosis, psychology, therapy)
  • Physician's Role (psychology)
  • Physician-Patient Relations
  • Power, Psychological
  • Role Playing
  • Sadism (psychology)
  • Sociology, Medical

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: