Chronic illness in adolescents: a sociological perspective

This article relates chronic illness in adolescents to a sociological model of deviance. This is an area of controversy: the views of Freidson, Lorber and Robinson are presented as being representative of the dispute. Four situations are discussed in which the issues of prognosis, responsibility and stigma elicit societal response. The usefulness of a sociological model consists in making vague societal perception and rules explicit. The concept of the chronically ill adolescent as deviant is descriptive and devoid of value judgment. Only through such rigorous assessment is it possible to gain a realistic understanding of the societal role in the life of the chronically ill adolescent.