Abstract
In recent decades, psychosocial explanations of relationships between health and social economic inequalities have emerged. These approaches, it has been noted, de-emphasize the importance of material pathways. This article develops this critique by arguing for the relevance of sociomaterial spatiality and the materiality of social interaction. Psychosocial explanations see neurohormonal pathways as connecting the psychosocial and biological. This neurohormonal connection is developed here to include muscular, postural and other dimensions. Such approaches, furthermore, need to more adequately explicate the role and nature of agency. The notion of bioagency and its relationship to structure is used to address this issue. The conclusion briefly discusses the relevance of bioagency and materiality to psychosocial theorizing about health and social inequalities.
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My special thanks to Miriam Fisher for her help in drafting this article.
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Freund, P. Embodying psychosocial health inequalities: Bringing back materiality and bioagency. Soc Theory Health 9, 59–70 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1057/sth.2010.5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/sth.2010.5