Johanna Shapiro, Ph.D., Johanna Shapiro, Ph.D., Michael Prislin, M.D., Deane H. Shapiro, Ph.D., Desiree Lie, M.D., M.S.Ed.
This article examines how three literary narratives portraying the psychological effects of illness deal with issues of control in the doctor-patient-family relationship. Specifically explored are how patient, physician, and family members cope with the feelings of vulnerability and loss of control brought on by illness; and how each seeks to gain and maintain a sense of control in this coping process.