Sociological and psychological theories of self‐neglect

Background. Self‐neglect can be defined as the failure to engage in those self‐care actions necessary to maintain a socially acceptable standard of personal and household hygiene and/or a failure to adequately care for one's own health. It is generally acknowledged that research and practice in the area of self‐neglect has been hampered by a lack of theoretical development. Socio‐psychological theories, such as ‘social constructivism’ and ‘negotiated interactionism’ can contribute to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon and to the further development of self‐neglect theory. Aims. This paper seeks to apply social and psychological theories to understanding self‐neglect. Self‐neglect is an underconceptualized phenomenon, which requires to be studied within a broader theoretical context than is at present the case. Implications. Sociological and psychological theories offer radically different ways of looking at self‐neglect, as opposed to the medical model, as they seek to explain and understand, rather than simply classify it as a medical disorder caused by some form of underlying psychopathology. These theories emphasize the dynamic and interpretative nature of self‐neglect and illustrate the arbitrary way in which this label is applied.