The circuit of symbolic violence in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) (I): A preliminary study, by Xavier Gimeno Torrent in Health Care for Women International Volume 43, 2022 – Issue 1-3

Research abstract: 

Objective

How can it be that a disease as serious as CFS affecting such a large number of people could be so unknown to the general population? The answer given to this question is based on Pierre Bourdieu’s analyzes of symbolic violence.

Method

The ‘letters to the editor’ by CFS patients to three national Spanish newspapers were subjected to various qualitative and quantitative analyzes.

Results

Based on the qualitative analyzes and their theoretical interpretation, 13 mechanisms of symbolic violence were identified: non-recognition, institutionalized un-care, condescension, authorized imposition of illegitimate verdicts, delegitimization, disintegration, imposition of discourse, euphemization, silencing, invisibilization, isolation, uncommunication, and self-blaming.

Multiple Correspondence Analysis made it possible to identify that the structural mechanisms (non-recognition, disintegration) were combined with the most symbolic ones, which came to the forefront producing the observed effects of symbolic violence. The 13 clusters obtained in the Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering confirmed this result.