**4.2. Phenomenological sociology**

on communication; therefore, people create and interpret social situations and their meanings during this communicative process. It is during the course of social interaction that objects gain meaning for the person or persons. These social meanings are created and modified

Thus, the symbolic interactionist perspective is especially useful in the construction of behaviour, as it gives a primary role to the concept of the interaction that occurs between the members of a social group. Furthermore, "human beings interpret or define the actions of others, without being limited to simply reacting to them. Their response is not directly elaborated as a consequence of the actions of others, but is based on the meaning they give to such actions" [15]. Therefore, in relation to health and disease, and the prevention of HIV, this theory constitutes an important theoretical perspective for studying and explaining the social conduct of people and groups of people who interact with each other on the basis of sharing symbolic meanings. In the field study of HIV, symbolic interaction theory has been extensively applied [16]. This theory is useful for studying the stigma that exists among people living with HIV. Recently, it has been published a meta-analysis about ART non-adherence. The results of the study suggest that the existence of stigma is a factor of non-adherence [17]. This systematic review identified 34 studies that applied this theory. These studies indicated existing intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural barriers as a result of stigma as factors of

The process of social interaction constitutes a fundamental aspect in the study of the doctorpatient relationship. Since communication does not have a unidirectional character, the emission and reception of messages does not occur in a passive way. Such constant feedback creates a process that influences the way in which the disease and the person's subjec‐ tive experience are created. This theory has been used to study the relationship between people infected with HIV and health professionals [18]. Recently, an interesting study conducted in Spanish health services analysed the relationship between people living with HIV and physicians as it concerns interventions developed within the areas of sexuality

Hence, symbolic interaction allows for a broader view of the approach to doctor-patient interaction, because it enables an understanding of the processes of social interaction that take place during the course of the relationship (doctor-patient). Subsequently, it also allows for an analysis of the role of the patient and health professionals in their encounters throughout the disease process. Furthermore, the communicative process that is established motivates the participation of other people, the family and the community. Therefore, the meanings and the subjective experiences of HIV-positive people are created during the social interaction process, not only with health professionals, but also with other individuals and groups with whom the HIV-positive person interact in normal everyday life. In this sense, studying doctor-patient interaction is useful for identifying the potential cultural barriers that can arise from this interaction. For instance, Spain recently conducted a research study, the objective of which was to understand and analyse the experience of immigrant HIV-positive women with health

during the dialogue of social interation.

34 Trends in Basic and Therapeutic Options in HIV Infection - Towards a Functional Cure

non-adherence [17].

and safe sex [19].

professionals and treatment services [20].

The focus of analysing this theory is how meanings are created in the individual's conscious‐ ness. In other words, how life experiences influence and form part of the interrelationships established between two or more actors in everyday life and how these meanings can be revealed to an observer [23]. In the field of HIV research, this theory has been applied for studying the social about of the virus. The study of social representations of HIV has been extremely relevant to understanding the perceptions and meanings attached to the disease by the general population [24].

A series of key notions that summarize the author's thoughts and that constitute analytic tools for the study of the HIV phenomenon are described below:


"simultaneity... for it means that I grasp the subjectivity of the alter ego at the same time as I live in my own stream of consciousness... and this grasp [of] simultaneity of the other as well as his reciprocal grasp of me, makes possible 'our' being in the world together". The foundation of this concept is based on the social world, on the lifeworld; therefore, it is an intersubjective world, not a private world, one that is common to all. However, the inter‐ subjective world is not only composed of subjective sensitivities, that is, what is received by the senses, but also of subjects' interpretations of those sensations. Therefore, it is based on how the subject interprets his/her surrounding world, as well as on the elements that condition this surrounding world and that make it possible to change or maintain the subject's interpretations and actions.


In short, phenomenological sociology constitutes an important conceptual tool for approach‐ ing the study of HIV. This is the case because it is a theoretical perspective that permits for capturing the subjective meanings that people attach to their actions; additionally, it serves to describe and understand interpretations of meanings within the world, as well as for gaining a sense of the actions and interactions of people who are HIV-positive.
