Critique of 'Measuring Pursuits, Marking Self' Journal Article

This document presents a comprehensive critique of Kathy Charmaz's journal article, "Measuring pursuits, marking self: Meaning construction in chronic illness." The critique begins with a summary of the article's key aspects, including the research question, aims, research approach, and findings. It then evaluates the suitability of the chosen methodology, the appropriateness of the research methods (grounded theory, interviews, surveys), and critically assesses the findings, identifying limitations such as the lack of numerical data. The critique also discusses the potential contribution of the research to the field of health, particularly in understanding how individuals with chronic illnesses measure their pursuits and construct meaning in their lives. The analysis highlights the strengths of the study, such as its in-depth exploration of the topic, while also acknowledging its limitations, such as the absence of strategies to overcome chronic illness. The paper emphasizes the importance of understanding how chronic illness impacts an individual's pursuits and self-perception, and how these pursuits can be used as markers of health and wellbeing. The critique concludes by reiterating the study's significance for health research and its potential to inform interventions and support for individuals with chronic conditions.

Journal article critique

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Table of Contents
Summary of key aspects........................................................................................................................2
The suitability and fit between the choices of methodology.................................................................3
Appropriateness of the research methods............................................................................................4
Critical evaluation..................................................................................................................................5
Potential contribution...........................................................................................................................5
References.............................................................................................................................................6

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Summary of key aspects
The title of this journal article is measuring pursuits, marking self: meaning
construction in the chronic illness which was written by Kathy Charmaz in the year
2006. This researcher study focuses on the controlling pursuits and marking self in
chronic disorder and the researcher provided complete information about the research
topic. According to the researcher, the constructing meaning of disorder, health and self
is one of the common topics for the investigation and plateaus occur due to improper
life planning (Charmaz, 2006). The goal of this research learning is to evaluate how
persons with chronic disease determine their pursuits as an indicator of their health.
Mainly, this journal paper is completely based on pursuits and marking self in the field
of chronic disorders. According to the investigator, the issue of chronic disease shift and
change over time and modern chronic situations can power a review of fitness status
and rebuilding of self when they communicate with normal chases.
The research question of this paper is “how consumers with chronic condition
evaluate their pursuits as indicators of their wellbeing?” In this research study, the
researchers critically analysed this research question and provided enough information
about chronic illness and the individual's pursuits (Smith, Harvath, Goy, & Ganzini,
2015). The researchers identified that determining pursuits develops a process of
measuring comparative health and disorders.
Moreover, the researcher also conducted a literature section in order to
understand and analyse the viewpoints of other researchers and highlighted the key
findings of previous studies about the research topic. To decrease the research gaps
between facts and research topic, the researchers used various kinds of research
methods, for example, research approach, the data collection method, research
strategies, and secondary research method.
The research approach includes the time plan and various approaches like
psychological, techniques, and so on for improving the efficiency of the paper. The
researchers used a mixed method which contains qualitative and quantitative
techniques (Coffey, Gallagher, & Desmond, 2014). The qualitative process allows
theoretical information about the research topic but quantitative approach allows data

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and statistics about the research topic. The primary data collected through interviews
and survey but secondary data collected from previous studies, literature review and
other online journals. After analysing this journal paper it has been found that the
researchers adopted a grounded theory method in order to guide the collected data and
analyse them in an effective manner.
Moreover, for achieving the aims and objectives of this paper, the researchers
involved around 165 interviews of consumers on chronic illness and their pursuits.
After analysing these interviews it becomes clear that consumers who suffered from
chronic diseases often looked for determining and evaluating their daily life activities.
The data analysis method includes several steps for example coding interviews,
developing tentative categories, script memos on the groups, and viewing the relations
between data or facts and research topic.
From this journal study, it has been found that consumers appeal events from
previous and current and wanted functions as they involve in inspecting their
participations for their fitness issues. Moreover, determining and evaluating the
pursuits of consumers can lead to assessments and action for producing markers of self.
It has been identified that the serious chronic disease makes a consumer’s involvement
problematic and only a few individuals can look the meaning of their pursuits during
their chronic illness.
By using data collection methods the researchers collected the effective facts and
information about chronic illness and interviews shows that patients with continuing
disorders often observed for actions and evaluates of their fitness related issues and
their daily life activities. However, the collection of data and information about chronic
illnesses the numbers of researchers provided their views and this paper discussed
their findings with their limitations.
The suitability and fit between the choices of methodology
In this journal study, the researchers used research design, grounded theory
method, data collection and a mixed research technique to complete the investigation in
an effective manner (Årestedt, Persson, & Benzein, 2014). All these research
methodologies are more suitable and fit for the research questions and aims highlighted

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by the researchers. With the help of these research methodologies, the researchers
collected effective information about the chronic illness and analysed the findings of
previous studies that helped them for achieving the aims and objectives of this paper.
However, it has been found that the authors involved interviews and case studies
with the help of primary and secondary research methods which provided a platform to
investigators for analysing the problem of chronic illness. The selected research
methods emphasized how consumers account for their illnesses and measure their
pursuits regarding chronic illness (Catunda, Seidl, & Lemétayer, 2017). Therefore, it is
has been found that the researchers collected effective results from these research
methodologies that supported them for critically evaluating the importance of
consumer’s pursuits and marking self in their chronic disorders.
Appropriateness of the research methods
After analysing this research paper, it has been found that the researchers used
the grounded theory method that guides the data collection and analytics methods. This
is one of the effective and appropriate processes for collecting and relevant data and
information about the research question (Kreiner, & Hunt, 2014). The data collection
methods involved both primary and secondary kinds of techniques for gathering fresh
and new information. However, the primary method provided data and facts about the
research topic and the authors used interview and survey for collecting viewpoints of
other participants.
In order to collect the secondary data the researcher used a literature review,
previous studies about chronic illness and added outcomes of current journal papers. It
is observed that the data analysis method provided a way to the researchers to
effectively evaluate both primary and secondary information collected from research
methods (Mercer, et al., 2016). By using the data analysis process the author's
effectuality analysed the ley factors associated with the chronic illness and pursuits of
consumers (Falvo, & Holland, 2017). Both these methods are appropriate for this
investigation because they provided an in-depth analysis of the research topic and help
the readers for understanding the issue of chronic illness and consumer’s pursuits
towards their health issues.

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Critical evaluation
After analysing this journal paper it has been found that a serious chronic
disorder that makes a consumer’s involvements problematic and challenges. When a
consumer with chronic disease scrutinizes their involvement they produce their
measures of such pursuits explicit. Moreover, it has been identified that when
consumers try to reduce their stress, they determine the cost of their present pursuits
and stress can be reduced by exercise, swimming and easting healthy foods (Sav, et al.,
2015).
The main strength of this paper is that the researchers provided in-depth
analysis about research topic which reduced the research gaps between information
and research question (Eccleston, Fisher, Law, Bartlett, & Palermo, 2015). There are
several limitations of this paper, for example, the author did not involve numerical data,
provided only theoretical information, did not explain the impact of chronic illness, and
did not provide any strategy to overcome chronic illness.
Potential contribution
This paper plays a major contribution to the field of health and my research
because it is completely based on pursuits and chronic illness by which students can
enhance their skills and experience. Moreover, in the field of health, this research study
can provide a platform to other experts for understanding the condition of chronic
illness and how people measure their pursuits.

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References
Årestedt, L., Persson, C., & Benzein, E. (2014). Living as a family in the midst of chronic
illness. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 28(1), 29-37.
Catunda, C., Seidl, E. M. F., & Lemétayer, F. (2017). Illness perception and quality of life
of HIV-positive persons: mediation effects of tenacious and flexible goal
pursuit. Psychology, health & medicine, 22(2), 129-137.
Charmaz, K. (2006). Measuring pursuits, marking self: Meaning construction in chronic
illness. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 1(1),
27-37.
Coffey, L., Gallagher, P., & Desmond, D. (2014). Goal pursuit and goal adjustment as
predictors of disability and quality of life among individuals with a lower limb
amputation: a prospective study. Archives of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation, 95(2), 244-252.
Eccleston, C., Fisher, E., Law, E., Bartlett, J., & Palermo, T. M. (2015). Psychological
interventions for parents of children and adolescents with chronic
illness. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4).
Falvo, D., & Holland, B. E. (2017). Medical and psychosocial aspects of chronic illness and
disability. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Kreiner, M. J., & Hunt, L. M. (2014). The pursuit of preventive care for chronic illness:
turning healthy people into chronic patients. Sociology of health & illness, 36(6),
870-884.
Mercer, K., Giangregorio, L., Schneider, E., Chilana, P., Li, M., & Grindrod, K. (2016).
Acceptance of commercially available wearable activity trackers among adults
aged over 50 and with chronic illness: a mixed-methods evaluation. JMIR
mHealth and uHealth, 4(1), e7.
Sav, A., King, M. A., Whitty, J. A., Kendall, E., McMillan, S. S., Kelly, F., ... & Wheeler, A. J.
(2015). The burden of treatment for chronic illness: concept analysis and review
of the literature. Health Expectations, 18(3), 312-324.

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Smith, K. A., Harvath, T. A., Goy, E. R., & Ganzini, L. (2015). Predictors of the pursuit of
physician-assisted death. Journal of pain and symptom management, 49(3), 555-
561.