scholarly journals Exploring underexposed stories: the experienced lifecourse of financially excluded older adults

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie Van Regenmortel ◽  
An-Sofie Smetcoren ◽  
Sara Marsillas ◽  
Deborah Lambotte ◽  
Bram Fret ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Classical Education ◽  
Cultural Life ◽  
Life Story Interview ◽  
Individualised Care ◽  
Uncertain Future

AbstractTo gain insights into vulnerable lifecourses and give a voice to those often underrepresented in quantitative research, this study examines the life stories (past, present and future) of 19 financially excluded older adults using an adapted version of McAdams’ life-story interview scheme. Although these life stories demonstrate an accumulation of many disadvantages and an uncertain future because of current financial situations, the stories also reflect the generativity, resilience, coping strategies and agency of financially excluded older adults. We demonstrate how the experienced lifecourse is built around both negative and positive turning points and transitions which go beyond the classical education–work–retirement triumvirate, and how socio-cultural life scripts are used as a framework to build one's own life story in order to achieve continuity. The discussion highlights the potential for deploying the life-story method as a qualitative resource for providing individualised care.

scholarly journals What Do You Want Us to Know?: Learning From Life Stories to Improve Veterans’ Healthcare Experiences

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 237437352110698
Author(s):  
Miriam Rosen ◽  
Breanna A. Nguyen ◽  
Susheel Khetarpal ◽  
Gaetan Sgro
Keyword(s):  
Military Service ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Economic Disadvantage ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Civilian Life ◽  
Life Story Interview ◽  
Healthcare Experiences

My Life My Story (MLMS) is a national Veterans Health Administration (VA) life story interview program that aims to provide more humanistic care for veterans by focusing on the patient as a person. Our project took place at the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System and had 3 main goals: (1) describe themes that emerge in MLMS interviews from the prompting question, what do you want your healthcare provider to know about you?; (2) identify topics of importance to veterans and suggest ways for healthcare providers to explore them; and (3) foster a culture at the Pittsburgh VA that places not only the health but also the personal triumphs, hardships, and aspirations of veterans at the center. Veterans provided verbal consent to have their previously recorded stories used in this study. Stories were coded and then analyzed for patterns and themes. A total of 17 veterans participated in our study. Themes that emerged from the stories include (1) Early Hardships; (2) Economic Disadvantage; (3) Polaroid Snapshots; (4) Around the World; (5) Haunted by Combat; (6) Life-altering Moments; (7) Homecoming; (8) Romantic Beginnings & Obstacles; (9) Inequity across Gender & Race; and (10) Facing Mortality. This study's findings underscore the need to address the traumas associated with military service, as well as the challenges faced with re-integration into civilian life, when working with veterans. The MLMS interviews explored in this study can help clinicians identify topics of importance to veterans, strengthen their relationships with their patients, and improve the care that veterans receive.

Drama therapy in late life: Taking life-story work one step further

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-36
Author(s):  
Dovrat Harel ◽  
Shoshi Keisari
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Group Process ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Drama Therapy ◽  
Psychological Development ◽  
Unfinished Business ◽  
Integrative View ◽  
One Step ◽  
Story Work

Integrating life-story work with drama therapy creates new opportunities for the psychological development of older adults. In this conceptual article we suggest five qualities of dramatic reality by which this integration can promote psychological development in old age: its ability (1) to evoke a story, (2) to bring together the personal and the collective, (3) to help in processing unfinished business, (4) to create an integrative view of the self and (5) to open the way to imagining the future. We illustrate each of the five qualities using vignettes from our previous research in the field and show how exploring the life stories of older adults through dramatic reality provides opportunities for active self-exploration in the ‘here and now’ of the group process in a way that goes beyond verbal life-story work.

scholarly journals Links Between Life Stories and Identity Profiles in Emerging Adults From Georgia

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 422-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nino Skhirtladze ◽  
Nino Javakhishvili ◽  
Seth J. Schwartz ◽  
Koen Luyckx
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Personal Identity ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Life Story Interview ◽  
Dual Cycle ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Methods

In this study, we examine personal identity formation using two approaches: a dual-cycle model of identity development and a narrative life-story model. We used quantitative and qualitative methods for studying personal identity: Luyckx et al.’s Dimensions of Identity Development Scale and D. P. McAdams’ life-story interview. Using six cases selected from a sample of 62 Georgian emerging adults, we illustrate how identity profiles created using six identity dimensions (exploration in breadth, commitment-making, identification with commitment, reflective exploration in depth, reconsideration of commitment, and ruminative exploration) are reflected in life stories depicting participants’ paths toward identity commitments and their ideas about the future and life themes. This article demonstrates how identity dimensions are connected to the context and how this connection is manifested in their life stories. The research illustrates theoretical exemplification by case studies and exemplifies the manifestation of dual-cycle identity development theorizing in case examples through narratives.

scholarly journals Some personal life events are more prominent than others: Younger and older adults agree on which life events matter most

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-569
Author(s):  
Sharda Umanath ◽  
Dorthe Berntsen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Personal Life ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Cultural Life ◽  
Life Script

Some important life events are part of the cultural life script as expected transitional events with culturally sanctioned timing. However, not all personally important events align with the cultural life script, including some events that are widely experienced. Here, we ask whether there are specific characteristics that define the events that become part of a culture’s life script and what role life experience plays. In Experiment 1, younger adults rated life events on different measures tapping central event dimensions in autobiographical memory theories. Cross-culturally extremely frequent cultural life script events consistently received higher ratings than other commonly experienced life story events. Experiment 2 demonstrated that these findings did not interact with age. Both younger and older adults rated the extreme cultural life script events most highly. In addition, older adults rated all types of life events more highly than younger adults, suggesting a greater appreciation of life events overall.

scholarly journals The Obstacles that Parents Encountered when Taking Children to Psychological Clinic in Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-156
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi Dung
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Financial Problems ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
Life Story Interview ◽  
Psychological Examination ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenology ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study aimed to explore difficulties that parents faced when bringing their children to psychological examination in Vietnam through their life stories. The research participants included 5 fathers and 3 mothers having children diagnosed with autism. A preliminary interview prior to the study and in-depth interviews were carried out with their voluntariness. To collect and analyze the data, "Life Story Interview" list was implemented, data analysis phases of interpretative phenomenology was used in this study. As a result, key problems that parents met on this tough journey so that their children could be examined were (1) financial problems, (2) tiredness, and (3) unexpected behaviors of the children. Analyses showed that despite the challenges, parents tried their best in order to know exactly the name of their children’s problem.

scholarly journals Life Stories of Parents with Autistic Children

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Oya Onat Kocabıyık ◽  
Yeşim Fazlıoğlu
Keyword(s):  
Life Stories ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Coping Skill ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Life Story Interview ◽  
The Family ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Depth Interviews

The major aim of this study was to determine how children diagnosed with autism shapes their parents’ lives by specifying parents’ life stories. The study group consisted of 10 parents who have children with autism. Parents who have participated in the study were determined through a preliminary interview prior to the study and in-depth interviews were conducted with volunteer parents. In the study, "Life Story Interview" list was implemented to examine the content of life stories that shape parents’ lives. The data obtained from the research were analyzed using data analysis phases of interpretative phenomenology which is one of the qualitative research models. By analyzing the data obtained in the research, 10 major themes emerged. These major themes include; diagnosis, feeling, hopes and plans, concerns and questions, social reactions / stigmatization, parenting roles, coping with, sensitivity to disease, meaning of life and development. Analyses revealed that parents with autistic children undergo through a wide variety of emotions, challenges and difficulties during their daily lives and also that good coping skill is the key to normal functioning within the family which had an autistic child.

scholarly journals More Vulnerable? The Life Story Approach Highlights Older People’s Potential for Strength During the Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majse Lind ◽  
Susan Bluck ◽  
Dan P McAdams
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Stories ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Physical Status ◽  
Personal Memory ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Adaptive Use ◽  
Life Challenges ◽  
Temporal Focus ◽  
Older Citizens

Abstract Objectives Older adults have repeatedly been referred to as more physically vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic, however, is not only about becoming physically ill. It has many psychosocial aspects: people are exposed to myriad life challenges. The life story approach does not ignore physical status but also emphasizes psychosocial strengths. It highlights that older people are likely to have developed resilience through experiencing life challenges and living across history. Method We used the narrative method to review research on three strengths: tendency toward life reflection, adaptive use of personal memory, and temporal focus encouraging generativity. Results For each, we (a) present evidence that this strength manifests in the second half of life, and (b) identify how it may specifically be applied in dealing with the challenges of the pandemic. In considering their life stories, the picture that emerges is one of older adults as having the potential to show considerable psychosocial strength despite the adversities of the pandemic. Discussion We conclude that during this period of sweeping change in the lives of individuals of all ages, our older citizens may act as valuable societal anchors.

scholarly journals Life stories of caregivers looking after a child with autism in Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-194
Author(s):  
Dung Thi Nguyen ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Life Stories ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Psychological Consultation ◽  
Life Story Interview ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study aimed to explore how autistic children form the lives of people who were raising them through life stories shared by caregivers. The research participants included 11 Vietnamese caregivers who were taking care of children diagnosed with autism. A preliminary interview prior to the study was conducted to determine caregivers who would participate in the research and in-depth interviews were carried out with volunteer caregivers. To determine aspects of life stories that shape caregivers’ lives, the study implemented the "Life Story Interview" list. Grounded theory and the constant comparative method, effective research strategies were used to collect and analyze the data. Interviews were conducted in the Vietnamese language. As a result, 6 broad categories of themes were identified related to caregivers’ life stories: (1) psychological consultation, (2) emotions, (3) worries, (4) duties, (5) essential virtues, and (6) hopes. Analyses exposed that although caregivers whose children were autistic underwent a wide range of challenges in their daily lives and had concerns for the future of children, they did a big shot to reorganize their family lives, required themselves highly, and never stopped hoping for a better life.

scholarly journals Możliwości wykorzystania wskaźników adaptacyjnych narracji autobiograficznych w pracy z osobami z diagnozą schizofrenii paranoidalnej

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 177-194
Author(s):  
Maria Wojtak
Keyword(s):  
Life Stories ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Life Story Interview

Niniejszy artykuł prezentuje wyniki badań z zakresu psychologii klinicznej zrealizowane z wykorzystaniem perspektywy oraz metodologii narracyjnej. Zdrowie psychiczne w ujęciu narracyjnym definiowane jest jako zdolność do tworzenia życiowej opowieści spełniającej określone kryteria formalne (Stemplewska-Żakowicz, Zalewski, 2010). Głównym celem badań było scharakteryzowanie – z perspektywy psychologii narracyjnej – autonarracji tworzonych przez osoby z diagnozą schizofrenii paranoidalnej oraz uchwycenie tzw. zdrowych/ adaptacyjnych wskaźników narracji autobiograficznych (beneficial life stories indicators). W badaniu wzięło udział 9 pacjentów z rozpoznaniem schizofrenii paranoidalnej w fazie remisji. Narracje autobiograficzne osób badanych pozyskane zostały w odpowiedzi na bodziec narracyjny: „Proszę o opowiedzenie mi historii swojego życia”, rozpoczynający wywiadna temat historii życia (The Life Story Interview) autorstwa Dana P. McAdamsa (1985, 2006). Rekonstrukcja strategii tworzenia opowieści o własnym życiu przez osoby badane pozwoliła określić stopień przystawalności narracji autobiograficznych osób chorych na schizofrenię do kryteriów sprzyjających zdrowiu narracji. Wyniki badań ujawniły także wewnętrzne zróżnicowanie historii życia pacjentów w obrębie całej grupy. Przytoczone w artykule kryteria oraz ich konceptualizacja w odniesieniu do opowieści o życiu konstruowanych przez pacjentów psychiatrycznych może stanowić podstawę teoretyczną dla różnicowania autonarracji charakterystycznych dla prawidłowego funkcjonowania jednostki. Wskaźniki te pełnią również potencjalnie rolę wskazówek dla klinicystów, psychiatrów oraz psychoterapeutów pracujących z pacjentami psychotycznymi. Ponadto identyfikacja zakłóceń bądź deficytów występujących na poziomie narracji autobiograficznych umożliwia wgląd w fenomenologię choroby z punktu widzenia osoby jej doświadczającej, co zaś wzbogaca psychologiczne strategie wyjaśniania zjawisk psychicznych zachodzących w osobach badanych o kategorię ich rozumienia.

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