Work

The tragedy of promising happiness through overcoming disability

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This article explores the often-overlooked tragedy of promising happiness through overcoming disability. It draws on qualitative interviews and focus groups with 36 adults with cerebral palsy to explore how medical discourse shapes the ways in which individuals are encouraged to pursue a good life, leading to unintended consequences. Sara Ahmed's theory of happiness is used to understand the dialectics of pursuing a good life through overcoming disability, revealing how medical interventions and discourse during childhood inadvertently contribute to feelings of inferiority and social alienation. The article highlights the need to reconsider how individuals with disabilities are encouraged to pursue a good life, emphasizing the paradox of disabling effects arising from attempts to minimize and overcome disability.

Source: Social Science & Medicine

DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.117769

Authors: Olivia Dahl, Merete Monrad

Institutions: University of Copenhagen, Aalborg University

Language: English

Topic: Disability Rights and Representation

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,800