earticle

영어

The present ethnographic study explores the implications of anger in cancer patients in the cultural context of Korea from the perspective of cancer patients, and conducts a cross-cultural investigation to propose a theoretical model that can explain their anger, to develop effective nursing interventions and ultimately to improve cancer patients‟ quality of life. The informants in this study are 9 cancer patients on chemotherapy (6 females and 3 males) who were born and have lived in Korea sharing the Korean culture. Data were collected from January to September, 2008 until the data were saturated. Participant observation and in-depth interviews were used to collect data, which were in turn analyzed with Spradley‟s taxonomic analysis [6]. Taken together, the main cultural themes proved here are the 「insurmountable fate」,「uncontrolled psychological conflicts」, 「treatment processes to be endured」,「unpredictable future」, and 「uncontrolled self-pity」. The theoretical model of cancer patients‟ anger proved the archetype of a thinking cycle in the course of the disease where patients struggle to overcome and break from the cultural themes only to feel outraged about the insurmountable fate and undeniable reality that cannot be addressed even with face saving. In short, a socio-cultural sentiment should be encouraged so that cancer patients can break from the insurmountable fate, accept the course of the disease and receive treatment in a positive manner while expressing the anger effectively in Korean culture where cancer patients‟ anger tends to ebb away inwards and turn into „resentment‟. Also, it is urgent to develop self-help groups where cancer patients can cope with the anger in proper ways.