Gender, emotion, and physical distress: The Sicilian-Canadian “nerves” complex

Abstract

Researchers identify “nerves” as an idiom of distress, an illness category, a metaphorical device capable of communicating social distress, and a technique for impression management. Much of the literature, however, links “nerves” to women. In this paper, I address two aspects of the phenomenon which have received limited attention. First, I discuss “nerves” within the context of Sicilian-Canadian conceptions of anatomy and physiology. Sicilian-Canadians regard “nerves” as essential components of the human anatomy which, in some cases, may be linked to both physical and psychic distress. Second, I build on this discussion to examine how Sicilian-Canadian males make use of the “nerves” idiom. The implications of my work include the need to: (1) modify our definition of “nerves” to recognize formally that we are dealing with a dynamiccomplex consisting of multiple, variable, and ambiguousmeanings — meanings that enable people to confront or cope with a variety of situations; (2) direct greater attention to “nerves” as an idiom ofphysical distress; and, (3) examine further the role of physical “nerves” in the social construction of gender.