The University of Sheffield
Medical Humanities Sheffield
Understanding body shame, stigma, disgust, and depression: How can developing selfcompassion help in living with a visible skin condition
Supervisor: Dr Andrew Thompson (Psychology), Professor Andrew Messenger
(Medicine), and Dr Julia Moses (History)
Project:
This project is one of three in a University-funded network studying the impact of
shame and stigma in a variety of diseases. All projects are interdisciplinary
collaborative projects coordinated by Medical Humanities Sheffield. The projects will
run in a network with regular meetings, providing cross-discipline insights into
clinically relevant problems, with a translational humanities perspective.
As the barrier between the individual and the broader world of social interactions,
the skin acts as a liminal zone in which ideas of the self, including self worth, are
constructed. Advertising campaigns targeted at beauty and fashion, in particular,
have served to shape an idealised image of skin, and this image – and contrasting
portrayals of ‘shameful’ or ‘disgusting’ skin – has changed over time,
following historically specific contexts. Self-disgust is conceptually related to the
construct of body-shame, and both constructs may account for the increased risk of
depression in individuals living with appearance altering conditions, like skin
conditions.
However, we know relatively little about how factors relating to
appearance concern, shame, and disgust interact and the way in which they may
have an influence on depression. The proposed project would therefore seek to
address this gap in our understanding by bringing together methods drawn from
History and Psychology and applying them to findings from Dermatology.
The studentship will first aim to tease out how self-understandings of the skin are
constructed. This process involves two components: examining the broader social
and historical context which shapes self-perceptions, and situating individuals’
experiences against this backdrop. On one level, the studentship would identify
ways in which skin has been portrayed in the media in the UK over the past century
in order to gain an understanding of the wider historical and cultural pressures on
individual sufferers of skin conditions. The PhD student will therefore undertake a
close reading of public discourse and portrayals of skin since the early 1900s,
comparing early twentieth-century representations with those made in the recent
past and situating these representations against their immediate context in British
history, including the history of consumer culture in the UK.
In this way, the
studentship will aim to situate self-perceptions against this essential, and historically
contingent, backdrop. Against this backdrop, the student would then undertake a
mixed-methods psychological survey examining the role played by emotions of
disgust and shame in depression associated with visible skin conditions. Various
psychological constructs related to ideas about body image, such as the value of
appearance, shame and disgust, would be examined using statistical methods.
Qualitative analysis of written entries on the survey will also add to the findings and
enable specific participants to be invited to record narratives of their body image.
The findings from these historical and psychological studies would facilitate the
choice of techniques to be used in a feasibility trial of self-help with a population
living with a skin condition with clinical levels of depression. In the final study a
small number of people would be invited to use recognised self-soothing
techniques and their reactions to the study and the materials would be recorded in
comparison to a ‘control’ group who would be offered the techniques at a later
date. We would envisage that the studentship would have the potential to have
theoretical impact on the understanding of body shame and disgust and create a
pathway for clinical impact in deducing distress associated with this.
Entry Requirements:
Candidates must have a relevant first or upper second class honors degree. Also
desirable would be experience of undertaking research following completion of an
undergraduate degree or/and a completed MSc in research methods.
Enquiries:
Interested candidates should in the first instance contact Dr Andrew Thompson
(a.r.thompson@sheffield.ac.uk)
How to apply:
Please send your cover letter, CV, references and transcripts to Ms Jodie Burnham
(j.a.burnham@sheffield.ac.uk)
Website: http://mhs.group.shef.ac.uk
Closing date: Friday 18th April 2014
PhD Studentships (3):
Interdisciplinary Medical Humanities
Closing date: April 18th 2014
Overview: Outstanding graduate scientists are invited to apply for PhD Studentships to study
concepts of shame and stigma that have shaped our responses to disease throughout history.
The meanings of diseases as constructed through the interaction of medicine, the law, and
societal assumptions requires a new, multidisciplinary vision to identify, dissect and explore their
historical, cultural, emotional and clinical perspectives. Medical Humanities Sheffield was created
to enable these translational networks. The diseases that are the focus of this student network are
alcohol related liver disease (ALD) (studentship 1), non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD)
(studentship 2), and disfiguring skin complaints (studentship 3). The supervisory team of each of
the studentships involves a clinician with first-hand experience of treating the condition plus
colleagues from the Arts and Humanities and/or Social Sciences who will supervise the students
in recovering and dealing with the requisite historical, cultural, and emotional contexts. They will
bring different tools from unique perspectives that will cross boundaries and bring the historical
and contemporaneous patient voice into sharp relief within established narrative and
psychological frameworks.
Projects and supervisors:
1. Medical And Public Understanding Of Alcohol And The Liver Over The Last 100 Years.
Professor Phil Withington (History), Professor Dermot Gleeson (Medicine), and Dr Richard
Cooper (School of Health and Related Research)
2. A randomised controlled trial to investigate if Focused Expressive Writing reduces
symptoms in patients with epilepsy and Non-Epileptic Attack Disorder
Professor Markus Reuber (Medicine), Professor Brendan Stone (English), Dr Ian Brown
(Psychology)
3. Understanding body shame, stigma, disgust, and depression: How can developing selfcompassion help in living with a visible skin condition
Dr Andrew Thompson (Psychology), Professor Andrew Messenger (Medicine), Dr Julia Moses
(History).
The PhD students and their supervisors will form a network that will meet on a regular basis to
discuss progress and plan future work. The students will also be supported by a Doctoral
Development Programme that provides a cohesive training plan for cross-Faculty PhD students.
The students will be encouraged to present their findings at national and international
conferences and to publish in high-quality, international journals.
Entry Requirements: Applicants should possess a good honours degree in a relevant discipline.
Further details are given for each studentship on this link:
http://mhs.group.shef.ac.uk/studentships/
Enquiries: Please contact the relevant supervisor of each project.
How to apply: Please send your cover letter, CV, references and transcripts to Ms Jodie
Burnham (j.a.burnham@sheffield.ac.uk).