BODY AND ILLNESS: PHENOMENOLOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL
Body, Health, Illness, Physical Education professional.
This research thematizes the relationships between body, health and disease from the experiences lived by Physical Education professionals who experience processes of illness related to the diagnosis of herniated disc. This is a phenomenological approach research that aimed to understand the perception of the body in illness of Physical Education graduates who have disc herniation, in its different degrees of involvement, in order to collaborate with these discussions in Physical Education. And more specifically: it aimed to identify the perception of the body in illness of these professionals; and to describe how the Physical Education professional affected by herniated disk experiences his/her body, as well as the effects of the illness on his/her working practices in Physical Education. The investigation shows its academic and social relevance by proposing to deepen studies in Physical Education, expanding the understanding of the theme body in illness and activity of the Physical Education professional, both regarding the ways society approaches the phenomenon, and regarding the construction of new dimensions for the ways Physical Education professionals relate to their bodies. To this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Physical Education professionals with bachelor's degree, licentiate's degree, and technologist's degree working in the Crajubar region, South of Ceará-Brazil. It was identified that the professionals present conceptions of the body as an instrument, as well as the body as biocultural; regarding the perception of the body in illness, they denote a strong relation with the feeling of limitation of their abilities. Regarding the experiences lived with the body in the process of illness, we noticed that the PEFs sought new ways to face the disease and life, both personally and professionally. In this way, new reflexive horizons are opened that can contribute to perceive movement and illness as possibilities that can impel professionals to build a new place in the world, based on their experiences, building a way to face illness and life through an existential and expanded vision of themselves. These reflections bring to Physical Education contributions in the direction of perceiving it as more than an area that works with the body, but as a space of permanent self-elaboration through movement.