The Other Within Oneself: Understanding Care for a Family Member with Early‐Onset Dementia Through the Lens of Dividuality

Abstract

AbstractIn this article, I use the concept of the dividual to analyze the dynamics at stake in a family caring for a member with early‐onset dementia. Drawing on anthropological fieldwork in the Netherlands, I argue that using a dividual framework reveals family dynamics that are overlooked when using an individual framework, and it allows one to better understand the emotional pain that family members experience during the care process. Approaching family members as fractal persons shows how their identity is composed of other family members and how this can lead to dilemmas and conflicts in the care situation. The majority of articles on dementia focus on dyadic relationships. This article advocates a systemic approach encompassing the whole family. Moreover, it underlines the importance of taking the historicity of family relations into account and not limiting the analysis to situational dynamics.