Illness perception, time perception and phenomenology - An extended response to Borrett

Abstract

Borrett joins other phenomenologists in using phenomenological ideas on temporality to explain how illness affects the individual's experience of time. Unlike others, he attempts to synthesize this use of phenomenology with a biomedical understanding of the relation between time and illness. My paper expands on Borrett's ideas by reviewing current medical scholarship on time and illness perception, including Heidegger's ideas on temporality. The first section considers questions and suggestions emerging from contemporary medicine. After a short review of theories of time perception, I describe and critique how Borrett and others use phenomenological temporality in a medical context. My conclusion suggests how Heideggerian temporality might help with the questions and recommendations emerging within diverse medical fields. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.