“Diagnosed cancer free”: a corpus-based experiential analysis of the construction of the ‘self’ in the memoirs of female cancer survivors

Abstract

The study investigates the self-image and psychological representation of five female cancer survivors (FCSs) from different cultures—Moorjani (2012), Mohammed (2014), Al-Amoudi (2015), Robach (2015), and Segal (2017)—to explore how they represent their self-image and experiences across four key stages: before diagnosis, at diagnosis, during treatment, and after treatment. By focusing on memoirs, the research highlights the empowerment and resilience of these women, as well as the profound impact their experiences have on their social circles. The research aims to fill the gap in literature on the self-image of women diagnosed with cancer and their lived experience as mediated by the cultural context in which they live.

The study uses a corpus-based social semiotic approach to explore the experiential processes and levels of dynamism in the memoirs. It employs Driscoll's (2012) updated version of Hasan's (1985/1989) cline of dynamism to reveal how FCSs represent themselves in relation to other participants within a clause, including family, friends, carers, or other individuals. The results show that the Participant roles of Senser + Phenomenon, Actor (-Goal/ +Scope), and Carrier are the most frequent roles that FCSs take, allowing them to construct their experience with cancer and the complexities they have with treatment.

The transitivity analysis results represent FCSs as cognitively active, emotionally positive, and socially interactive individuals who demonstrate a complex and resilient self-representation through active involvement in everyday life, mental engagement, and the deployment of positive self-descriptive attributes. They manage to integrate their illness into their narratives, articulating attempting to maintain a positive and functional life. Although narratives constructed by FCSs are impacted by distinctive social and cultural contexts, they reveal significant similarities in depicting the difficulties and challenges encountered during and after treatment, reflecting the universality of illness as a human experience.

Thesis embargoed until 31st December 2026

Date of Award	Dec 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	University of Jeddah
Supervisor	Simon Statham (Supervisor), Joan Rahilly (Supervisor) & Sawsan Aljahdali (Supervisor)