Changes in women's opinions about cancer

Knopf, Andrea

doi:10.1016/0037-7856(76)90047-0

Cited by 39 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In addition, nonvictims tend to perceive themselves as personally invulnerable to negative life events. For example, results from health surveys suggest that while people express considerable fear of developing cancer, they greatly underestimate their own chances of contracting and dying from the disease (Knopf, 1976). Thus, individuals may underestimate both the overall likelihood of negative events in a population and their own personal susceptibility to those events.…”

Section: Nonvictim Perceptions Of Invulnerabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of Vulnerability to Victimization

Perloff

1983

Journal of Social Issues

308

167

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Individuals who have not been victimized by negative life events, such as serious illness, accidents, or crime, tend to perceive themselves as “uniquely invulnerable,” as less vulnerable to victimization than others. The actual experience of victimization, however, appears to shatter this illusion of invulnerability, creating in victims a new and unfamiliar sense of vulnerability often accompanied by psychological distress. This article reviews literature documenting nonvictims' perceptions of unique invulnerability and victims' heightened perceptions of vulnerability, and addresses the potentially adaptive versus maladaptive consequences of these perceptions. It is argued that victims who have the most difficulty coping with their misfortune may be precisely those individuals who initially felt least vulnerable prior to being victimized. Therefore, how victims cope may depend in part on their prior beliefs about risk. In addition, a distinction is made between victims who feel “uniquely vulnerable” (more vulnerable than others) and those who feel “universally vulnerable” (equally vulnerable as others) to future misfortune. It is proposed that perceptions of universal vulnerability may be a more adaptive reaction to victimization than are perceptions of unique vulnerability.

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Section: Nonvictim Perceptions Of Invulnerabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of Vulnerability to Victimization

Perloff

1983

Journal of Social Issues

308

167

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“…(Cartwright 1964, Parkin 1976, Reynolds 1978. This is particularly so in the case of cancer where the whole area is sufiused with pessimistic ideas and anxieties, not only among patients but also among the general public jHobbs 1967; however, according to Knopf (1976), the situation is improving], doctors (Oken 1961, Feifel 1965) and nurses (Davison 1965, Elkind 1981, 1982. Further testimony to the importance of communication is given by the number of books and articles advocating improved communication and suggesting how this might be achieved (Saunders 1965, Ward 1974, Souhami 1978, Abeloff 1979, Ellis et al 1979, Hawkins 1979, Fletcher 1980, Reynolds et al 1981.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Professional communications in cancer care: a Delphi survey of hospital nurses

Hitch

Murgatroyd

1983

Journal of Advanced Nursing

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Although good communications are generally agreed to be an essential component of effective nursing care of cancer patients, little research has been done on nurses' perception of communication problems, and less on their suggestions for resolving them. A Delphi-type survey among nurses in the North of England revealed that the main areas of comment were: dealing with patients' questions and fears; the communication implications of pain control; and relationships with other professional groups both inside and outside the hospitals. Numerous suggestions were made for improving communications.

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“…This supposition is contrary to the finding that the respondents knew a great deal about cancer, particularly about topics that are dealt with in health education and the mass media. The relatively high level of knowledge about cancer has been established in other studies as well (Kegeles et al, 1965;Kirscht et al, 1966;Knopf, 1976;Simonds, 1972;Williams, Cruickshank, & Walker, 1972). In our study, the differences between high-fear subjects and lowfear subjects were significant but relatively small, which means that highfear subjects also had considerable knowledge about cancer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%