Davidson, Joyce (2000) A phenomenology of fear : Merleau-Ponty and agoraphobic life-worlds. Sociology of Health and Illness, 22 (5). pp. 640-660. ISSN 0141-9889
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
This paper explores the nature of agoraphobic sufferers' fears of social spaces drawing on Merleau-Ponty's dual conceptions of 'lived' and 'objective' space. Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological approach highlights both the mediating role of sensations in acquiring a sense of identity and the importance of recognising the social (as opposed to the merely individual) construction of lived space. I argue that an approach capable of theorising agoraphobic 'being-in-the-world' requires just such recognition of the effect that other people have on the space that they occupy. The potential relevance of this approach for sufferers from agoraphobia is explored through a case study.