Measuring pursuits, marking self: Meaning construction in chronic illness

Abstract

This study addresses how people with chronic illnesses (1) measure their pursuits as indicators of their health and (2) adopt such measures as markers of who they are and are becoming. Ultimately, such markers can become part of the person's selfconcept. This article notes how work generates measures, but emphasizes those that people derive from their avocational interests. Measuring pursuits includes scrutinizing involvements, accounting for illness, and setting priorities. I describe how people interpret and construct markers from their measures and how they preserve self through fitness and then conclude by discussing the implications of the analysis. 165 qualitative interviews of chronically ill persons form the data of the study and grounded theory methods provide the guidelines for analysis. Key words: Chronic illness, self, meaning construction, pursuits, fitness, grounded theory