Bodybuilders' accounts of Synthol use: the construction of lay expertise online

Hall, M and ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7510-765X (2016) Bodybuilders' accounts of Synthol use: the construction of lay expertise online. Journal of Health Psychology, 21 (9). pp. 1939-1948. ISSN 1359-1053

Preview

Accepted Version
Available under License In Copyright.
Download (182kB) | Preview

Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105314568579

Abstract

Synthol is an injectable oil used by bodybuilders to make muscles appear bigger. Widely available on the Internet, it is reported to carry a wide range of health risks and side effects such as localised skin problems, nerve damage and oil-filled cysts, as well as muscle damage and the development of scar tissue. Given the tension between health risk and quick muscle enlargement, how lay users explain and justify their synthol intake becomes an important question. Drawing on discourse analysis, we focus on how lay expertise is worked up by users in the absence of available specialist knowledge by invoking medical and pharmaceutical discourses as legitimation, providing novices with support, gaining trust through positive personal narratives and thus gaining credibility as experts. Results have clear implications for health promotion interventions with bodybuilders.

Item Type:	Article
Peer-reviewed:	Yes
Date Deposited:	25 Aug 2015 13:48
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Additional Information:	This is an Author Final Copy of a paper accepted for publication in Journal of Health Psychology, published by and copyright Sage.
Divisions:
Subject terms:	Social Sciences, Psychology, Clinical, Psychology, body image, discourse analysis, health, masculinity, synthol, OIL INJECTION, CREDIBILITY, TRUST, TALK, WORK, BODY, LINE, Muscle, Skeletal, Humans, Substance-Related Disorders, Oils, Injections, Intramuscular, Risk, Attitude to Health, Doping in Sports, Internet, Adult, Male, Performance-Enhancing Substances, body image, discourse analysis, Performance-Enhancing Substances, Risk, Substance-Related Disorders, 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy, 1701 Psychology, 1702 Cognitive Sciences, Public Health
URI:	https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/575932
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105314568579
ISSN	1359-1053
e-ISSN	1461-7277

Impact and Reach

Statistics

DownloadsShow export options

Activity Overview

6 month trend

5,386Downloads

6 month trend

389Hits

Additional statistics for this dataset are available via IRStats2.

Altmetric

Repository staff only

Edit record