Anabola Androgena Steroider & Identiteter
There is little knowledge about abuse of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) in Sweden. Thispaper aims to explore, from a discourse psychological angle, how persons with experience ofanabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) construct there identities.The theory and method used as a frame for the paper is discursive psychology, depending on thefocus in the paper of human beings use of language in the construction of identities. Forcollection of data interviews were made. The six respondents al had experience of use of AAS.The interviews illustrated how users of AAS speak about AAS, and create there identity, inrelation to AAS. In the interpretation of data we used two different tools, used by discursivepsychologists, interpretative repertoires and subject positions. Though the interpretativerepertoires we were able to separate the ways the respondents construct there statements. Subjectpositions made it possible for us to interpret where the respondents did place themselves in therespeech. Other perspectives, derived from literature on the subject AAS, was brought into theanalysis. Other perspectives provide us with assumptions and make it possible to separate themesand discourses from the data.Two discourses where separated from data, restrictive discourse and legal discourse. Thediscourses contain three teams, use/abuse, physical risks and social risks. In the speech,respondents, relate to these teams in order to construct there identities. The respondents constructthe speech in order to make use of AAS reasonable to them selves. The respondents construct thespeech in the direction towards a liberal discourse. They construct the use of AAS as reasonableto them selves. The respondents make mostly difference between use and abuse of AAS anddon?t position them selves as abusers of AAS without reservations. A crucial component in theconstruction of an identity as a user is the reduction of risks. The respondents reduce the riskswith AAS in different ways and make an identity as a user possible.Key Words: Discourse, Discursive Psychology, AAS, Anabolic Androgenic Steroids, Identity.