The discipline of health psychology has grown rapidly in recent years, during a period of increasing debate about the nature of psychology and of science in general. Health psychology has tended to adopt the dominant positivist approaches and methods of its parent discipline. Persuasive and compelling, this book provides a strong case for the use of a qualitative framework in health psychology, and is essential reading for anyone interested in the research or practice of health psychology today.

PART ONE: CONSTRUCTING HEALTH AND ILLNESS THROUGH LANGUAGEHealth Psychology and Qualitative Research - Michael Murray and Kerry ChamberlainSocial Realms and the Qualities of Illness Experience - Alan RadleyUnderstanding Embodied Experience - Lucy YardleyThe Storied Nature of Health and Illness - Michael MurrayDiscourse, Health and Illness - Mandy MorganMaking Sense of Illness Experiences - Mary-Jane Paris SpinkFeminist Approaches to Qualitative Health Research - Jane M UssherPART TWO: CONVERSING ABOUT HEALTH AND ILLNESSInterviewing the Ill and the Healthy - Cynthia M MathiesonTalking to Children about Health and Illness - Christine Eiser and Sarah TwamleyQualitative Research in the Field of Death and Dying - R Glynn Owens and Sheila PayneCross-Cultural Research in Health Psychology - Jane SelbyPART THREE: TRANSFORMING TALK INTO TEXTUsing Grounded Theory in Health Psychology - Kerry ChamberlainAction Research - Sue Curtis, Helen Bryce and Carla TreloarDoing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis - Jonathan A Smith, Maria Jarman and Mike OsbornShaping Health Psychology - Antonia Lyons Qualitative Research, Evaluation and Representation