School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Soc Stud Sci. 2019 Apr;49(2):227-244. doi: 10.1177/0306312718820965. Epub 2018 Dec 25.
This paper contributes to the growing recognition in Science and Technology Studies and medical sociology of the significant role of affect in scientific and clinical work. We show how feelings of fear and anxiety associated with dementia not only shape people's experiences and responses to a diagnosis, but also shape the practices and processes through which assessments and diagnoses are accomplished. What emerges from our research, and provides a distinct contribution to this growing field of study, is the relationship between the uncertainties that pervade the diagnosis of memory problems and the various strategies and practices employed to care for, divert, restrict or manage affective relations. Furthermore, our ethnographic material illustrates the implications of this relationship: on the one hand, it provides opportunities for care work through 'tinkering' with diagnostic technologies and extending and opening out diagnostic categories, while on the other, it can form part of healthcare practitioners' disposal work, restricting opportunities for alternative meanings of dementia to endure.
这篇论文有助于科学技术研究和医学社会学领域越来越多地认识到情感在科学和临床工作中的重要作用。我们展示了与痴呆症相关的恐惧和焦虑感如何不仅塑造了人们对诊断的体验和反应，而且还塑造了通过这些评估和诊断来完成的实践和过程。我们的研究结果提供了对这一不断发展的研究领域的独特贡献，即贯穿于记忆问题诊断中的不确定性与为照顾、转移、限制或管理情感关系而采用的各种策略和实践之间的关系。此外，我们的民族志材料说明了这种关系的影响：一方面，它通过“修补”诊断技术和扩展和开放诊断类别为护理工作提供了机会，而另一方面，它可能成为医疗保健从业者处置工作的一部分，限制了痴呆症的其他含义持久的机会。
