ALMEIDA, P. L. de. A feminilidade atravessada pela doença: a imagem corporal da mulher com câncer de mama [The femininity crossed by the disease: the body image of women with breast cancer].167 p. Master’s Dissertation – Faculdade de Psicologia da PUC-SP. São Paulo (SP), 2009.
Available at: https://sapientia.pucsp.br/bitstream/handle/15834/1/Patricia%20Lima%20de%20Almeida.pdf
Abstract: Breast cancer renders a significant number of morbidity. Mastectomy is considered the principal form of change in the body image. Whereas the disease affects the body image beyond the loss resulting from the surgery, and that changes in the body affects femininity, it was investigated how the woman’s body image was affected by the treatment of breast cancer and the repercussions of the body changes in her femininity. For this study, an illustration of a clinical case was used, and the instruments of collection of information were scales of body image, in-depth interviews and the application of the Thematic-Drawing-and-Story Procedure. As result, it was observed that the perception of body changes does not imply necessarily on a (des)configuration of the image body, provided that is structured and coherent; and that the femininity can be maintained when the design of woman transcends the anatomical question and confers her the ability to redimension female social roles. Femininity may be favored or retrieved via the utilization of creative resources, offered by culture. It was also verified the psychic integration of the studied case, in function of the capacity to elaborate the sequels and consequences of the whole cancer investigation, in addition to the aging process, which took place during the treatment. Both disease and aging are periods that confer (re)configuration of the body image. Finally, the treatment of cancer renders a font of pain and suffering to affect the body (scheme and body image), the standpoint of woman and femininity because all of the methods of treatment for the disease (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy), with peculiarities. The data and information found through this study contributes to the researches about cancer treatment, body image and femininity, and also to attending and psychological treatment for women that suffer alterations in their body scheme, independent of being cancer or breast cancer, or any disease that requires changes in the body scheme or that crosses the femininity of these women.