Really interesting posts. I was reminded of a point in Charmaz's paper about how 'the self' is fundamentally social in nature (p170) and the influence that people generally can therefore have in shaping the identity and lives of people with chronic illness.... something that comes across strongly in other posts (see e.g. Moazie on 'the self').
I was also struck by the different perspectives that you have on professional responsbility and the potential for positive and negative influences as people negotiate chronic illness. As the paper is now 30 years old, I wonder if you think that anything has changed since Charmaz was writing?
