title: Breast consciousness in American society and it's effect on the American woman's adaptation to mastectomy.
abstract: The American Cancer Society estimates that more than a hundred thousand American women develop breast cancer every year. Mastectomy is the treatment of choice. While this surgery performs a gratifying service by saving a woman's life, her appreciation is muted by the price she must pay--the loss of a breast and permanent disfigurement. Within the value system of American culture, that price is a considerable one. This paper will attempt to interpret that cost.
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001940:Breast; D001942:Breast Feeding; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003243:Consciousness; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000523:psychology*; D012725:Sexual Behavior