Achieving harmony: Moving from experiencing social disgust to living with harmony in people with HIV/AIDS in the Thai context

Abstract

This chapter discusses the ways Thai people living with HIV/AIDS come to terms with their diagnosis and learn to manage their lives in the context of stigma and discrimination. The chapter draws on the results of two grounded theory studies which were conducted in the South and Northeast of Thailand, respectively. Data were gathered from 33 participants with HIV/AIDS in the South and 30 in the Northeast through in-depth interviews and participant observations. Interviews were tape-recorded and then transcribed verbatim. Being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS resulted in the lives of most participants being turned upside down. In a society in which HIV/AIDS has been highly stigmatized, the diagnosis results in both a devalued self and the risk of social disgust from others in society. Both studies explored the processes by which participants used selective disclosure to reconnect with others for support, enabling them to find meaning in life, to understand and revalue themselves, to overcome their life crisis, and to live life as normal. For some participants, finding an ultimate meaning in life - consistent with Buddhist teaching - enabled them to obtain peace and harmony.