Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 17, 2026

Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community
Published on: May 31, 2019
Self-Construction of Person With Cancer: A Corpus-Assisted Critical Discourse Analysis of Online Blogs
Elin Margrethe Aasen1, Lisbeth Alnes Vestgarden1, Berit Misund Dahl1
1Department of Health Sciences in Aalesund, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, NTNU-Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Ålesund, Norway.
Aim:
To explore how persons with cancer construct and socially position themselves in online blogs. Clarifying the discursive practice of self-construction can deepen healthcare professionals' understanding of how persons with cancer perceive themselves and their place in society.
Design:
Mixed qualitative and quantitative design using corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis.
Methods:
Online blogs active between 2015 and 2023 were evaluated. Google search with keywords: 'Blog about cancer' was conducted. Corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis, following Fairclough's framework, was used to analyse data from four persons with cancer living in Norway.
Results:
The analysis identified three discursive practices in which bloggers constructed themselves: a discourse of a person's existence, a discourse of norms, and a discourse of a paternalistic system. The bloggers constructed themselves as being trapped in their own bodies, changed and vulnerable individuals who should conform to the expected behaviours, and not being seen and heard by the healthcare system.
Conclusion:
The bloggers with cancer struggled between holistic and dualistic ideology, wishing to separate their bodies from themselves and constructed themselves as changed persons. Moreover, they struggled with societal expectations and adapted themselves to a paternalistic healthcare system, despite their desire to be seen and heard as individuals.
Implications For The Profession And Patient Care:
This study investigated the experiences of patients living with cancer, offering valuable knowledge for nurses, other healthcare professionals, and the government. The study uncovered that persons with cancer constructed themselves as changed persons and felt vulnerable socially and within a paternalistic healthcare system. These results may provide a stimulus for further discussions on the patient roles in cancer treatment and how to meet their needs for care and treatment.
Reporting Method:
This study adhered to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) guidelines.
Patient Or Public Contribution:
No patient or public contribution.
Related Concept Videos
Social Foundations of Self IV: Self in Digital Communication
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Cancer
What is Cancer?
Although people have known about cancer for centuries, it was only in 1761 that Giovanni Morgagni of Padua performed a detailed autopsy of...
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell

