Story Work Research Articles

Sources and Structure of Valerian Pidmohylny’s Story Models

Despite the fact that all the researchers recognize Pidmohylny as a master of prose, the issues of his technique are less often in the circle of scientists’ attention, than the issues of the subject matter. The subject of the offered research is the principles of story construction as a result of the aesthetic choice of the writer. The purpose of the investigation is to observe the sources of influence and the specialties of the narration, especially in the construction of the stories, which corresponded to the literal pursuits of Valerian Pidmohylny. The object of research is his literature works and narrative practices of writers, positively evaluated by him, in particular the works of A. France and unanimists. The methodological basis is the ideas of structuralism and narratology. As a result of the study, the following conclusions were made. Formed under the influence of A. France, V. Pidmohylny got from him not only irony and skepticism, but also a way of constructing a story, based not on reasons-causes relations, but on transformation and variation. In his first texts, this type of organization of events is embodied using parallels and contrasts. However, at this stage the writer was probably not satisfied with his technique. His metacritical texts tell about his commitment to this problem and the search for like-minded people. These thoughts and work on the translations of the unanimists coincide in time with the work on the «Місто» (the City) and the improvement of the technique. Involvement of the mythological way of organizing the story to create secondary lines dynamizes the text, and their orderly location (sequential or oppositional) aligns the composition. At the next stage, Pidmohylny subdues his technique to a philosophical theme, where the method of narration was probably a metaphor for content. Storys that organize events on the principle of transformation and variation, more effectively reveal the inner world of a human, allowing the author to create a "story about people". The conclusion about the predominance in Pidmohylny’s work of stories with ideological and epistemological type of construction and analysis of the dynamics of changes in the writer’s technique is the novelty of the study. Other aspect of it is the analysis of the features of the prose writer’s technique not only in the context of classical French literature, but also in the context of modern writers whom Pidmohylny had chosen for translation.

Guillermo SaccomannoThe Clerk by Andrea G. Labinger

The book has no straightforward plot, no rising action or dramatic twist; instead, it is a relentless march forward. The book becomes a joyous tribute to love and family , and it symbolizes a funeral procession for those lost. But it never stops moving. As Karimi repeats throughout the book, “the only way forward is through the alphabet.” Karimi often speaks directly to the reader and attempts to demonstrate how the structure of the story works. She invites the reader to enter and exit, to take whatever they can or want to take from the story. She describes it as a kaleidoscope, as “movable type—immovable in their mission,” or as a home for the dead. However, she makes it clear what the story is not: “If you seek biography, look elsewhere. It is a dream I offer you.” Above Us the Milky Way is a story of immeasurable tragedy but also of hope and acceptance. The book works to define what home is and looks for answers to questions about the human experience. It is a book of introspection rather than retrospection, encouraging readers to follow its example and look inward at their own lives. Samantha Tonkins University of Oklahoma Books in Review Guillermo Saccomanno The Clerk Trans. Andrea G. Labinger. New York. Open Letter. 2020. 150 pages. “AT THIS TIME of night, the armored helicopters fly over the city, the bats flutter against the office windows, and the rats scurry among the desks engulfed in darkness , all the desks but one, his, with the computer turned on, the only one that’s on at this hour.” So begins Guillermo Saccomanno’s novel The Clerk,* a neo-noir tale that relates the bleak existence of an office worker debased by the drudge of an all-but-meaningless life in a city besieged by gangs, terrorists, and a militarized police presence. Although many reviewers have labeled The Clerk a dystopic novel, rather than a dystopia brought on by war or climate change, which are tangential elements here, The Clerk offers us a dystopia of alienation and dehumanization triggered by late-stage capitalism-cum-neoliberalism, enforced by a hypermilitarized state. In this way, The Clerk could be set in Argentina in the 1970s, like the author’s earlier novel 77 (if not for the cell phones), or present-day Chile. Instead, The Clerk transpires in a nameless city, in a near future, of cloned dogs and cloned babies, surveillance helicopters, guerrilla attacks, and a virus, a city where the elderly die in nursing-home fires and students and teachers are massacred in school shootings. The parallels to the current day, especially to the United States, are striking. The appearance of the translation now is particularly timely. Winner in 2010 of Seix Barral’s Biblioteca Breve Novel Prize (previous winners have been a who’s who of Hispanic literature, including Goytisolo, Vargas Llosa, Cabrera Infante, Puig, Fuentes, and Poniatowska), The Clerk is Saccomanno’s third novel (after Gesell Dome and 77) to be translated by Andrea G. Labinger and published by Open Letter. Structurally, the novel is made up of fifty-five short chapters—some less than a page long—which provide the reader voyeuristic glimpses into the protagonist’s dreary day-to-day life (“the dandruff and hair loss torment him”) against a backdrop of a city plagued by violence (“Two drug dealers on a motorcycle gun down a minister”). The novel narrates the life of a nameless protagonist (everything and everyone in The Clerk is nameless), a Kafkaesque clerk, as disillusioned by his job as his home, where he lives with his wife, “a sour, despotic sort,” known only as “the woman,” and his children, whom the narrator describes as “a litter of obese, ill-behaved brats” who “demand electronic devices, fashionable clothing, astronaut-style sneakers, a car, [and] vacations,” except, that is, for a sickly albino son known as “El Viejito,” for whom the clerk feels sympathy, in the same way he feels sympathy for his own pitiful existence. (Labinger’s decision to add the appositive phrase “the little old man” to explicate “El Viejito” seems out of place here. While a common strategy in literary translation, the translator should...

Developing Life Stories for Nursing Home Residents and Examining the Impact on Residents and Staff

A life story program was implemented in 16 nursing homes (NHs) in Ohio with partners including a company specializing in life story work and a gerontological institute. The aim was to evaluate the impact of the life story program on residents and staff. NH sites were selected from an urban/suburban and a rural county using sampling procedures ensuring variation in auspice, quality star ratings and bed size. A longitudinal design was used to conduct in-person interviews with residents at baseline (prior to the life story interview), immediately after the interview, and approximately a month after most life story books were delivered to a NH. Resident eligibility criteria included being age 60 or older, Medicaid-eligible, long-stay and having no to moderate cognitive impairment. Residents’ (n=238) average age was 77 years, 66% were female, and 52% had resided in the NH for 1-5 years. Cognitive scores declined over time, but depressive symptomatology improved significantly. Residents had very high levels of satisfaction with care, enjoyed telling their life stories and would recommend the program; these findings did not change. A pre-post study design was used with staff (n=198), who included nurse aides, nurses, administrators, social workers and activity staff. Their average age was 44 years. Although staff job satisfaction did not change significantly, the vast majority enjoyed learning about residents’ life stories and used them in care planning. The findings demonstrate that life story work may be useful in promoting person-centered care, although further testing is needed with a more generalizable sample.

Why Arts Matter to People and Families Living With Dementia: Interprofessional Health Humanities Collaboration

This presentation will share examples of arts-based and creative interventions serving people and their families living with dementia representing evidence-based and promising practices in the United States. Such interventions offer effective non-pharmacological approaches to dementia care including use of the visual arts (e.g., drawings, paintings, sculpture) and performing arts (e.g., music, theatre); literature and writing including reminiscence, biographical approaches, and life story work; photography and Photovoice; and dance and movement as intervention modalities. Current evidence will be presented that demonstrates the effectiveness of arts-based interventions as a form of psycho-social and self-care to alleviate the effects of dementia and enhance the quality of life. Recommendations for future research will be discussed. Strategies will be proposed to develop interprofessional health humanities networks between universities, healthcare systems, libraries, museums, and the arts community to collaborate on the creation of arts-based programs in communities currently without the benefit of such programs.

Life story work for children and young people with care experience: A scoping review

This scoping review was undertaken to provide an overview of peer-reviewed empirical evidence concerning the undertaking of Life Story Work (LSW) with children and young people with care experience (CYPCE). Our search identified 1,336 potentially relevant publications. Of these, 24 empirical studies met our inclusion criteria and examined a wide range of practices in different countries. Using a thematic approach, key findings and characteristics related to current conceptualizations of LSW are explored and knowledge gaps identified. Our review shows that predominantly small-scale qualitative studies have been undertaken. These studies typically reported participants’ experiences and perspectives on pre-existing LSW practices (17 articles), or evaluations of innovative practices (7 articles). However, both lacked efficacy data. We identified numerous LSW practices that were consistently identified as providing “high-quality” experiences: young person-led approaches; consistent support to access and process personal information, including chronological facts, reasons for care entry and beyond; the use of artifacts; and assistance/training for carers supporting LSW. The included studies also identified practices that undermined LSW: rushed, incomplete accounts, using insensitive language that failed to include different voices from a young person’s past. The discussion appraises the findings through a critical lens and concludes that LSW is a clear priority for all and represents an intervention that has potential to help the unaddressed mental health needs of CYPCE. Unfortunately, without better evidence on how this intervention works best, for whom, over what period, and at what cost, practice cannot move forward. This paper challenges all stakeholders to realize this potential.

Narrative Productions of Meanings: Exploring the Work of Stories in Social Life

Narrative Productions of Meanings: Exploring the Work of Stories in Social Life

Understanding the shared experiences of creating a digital life story with individuals with dementia and their spouse.

Life story books in dementia are used as a part of person-centred care. Whilst the current literature demonstrates associations between completing life story books and increased well-being, little is known about the process and how it is experienced by individuals living with dementia. Life stories are often created with a loved one, such as a partner or spouse; however, further research is required to explore experiences of life story work as a shared endeavour. Furthermore, the use of technology to create life stories is growing, with little known about how digital elements are experienced. This study aimed to understand these gaps by exploring the shared experiences of individuals with dementia and their partner/spouse creating a digital life story book. Four couples participated in the six-week creation of their digital life story book. Following this, qualitative data relating to couples' experiences were collected via semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to interpret data and identified four superordinate themes relating to the shared experiences of creating their digital life story book: 'Creating a life story book is a huge undertaking', 'Looking back and looking forward: The emotional journey', 'Whose story is it and who does it belong to?' and 'Challenges of using technology to build the life story book'. Overall, this study demonstrated that creating a digital life story was a positive experience that can support couples' well-being, but we should not underestimate the time it will take and range of emotions experienced. The experience of using technology varied, emphasising that we must be mindful of individual preferences before considering a digital approach.

The Act of Silencing in Robert Musil’s “Tonka”

Modernism’s overemphasize on universal objectivity as well as its optimistic humanism have generated critical questions. The critics on modernism, labeled under the name of postmodernists, question the neutrality assumed by humanist universalism and scientific objectivism. Seeing the ugly sides of enlightenments, the modernist critics begins to see modernism “as deeply implicated by forms of oppression: sexism, racism, class-ism, colonialism”. The purpose of this paper is to analyze a modernist work from the view point of postmodernism. The work that is under discussion here is “Tonka” by Robert Musil. Within the story, we can see that a form of oppression appears. We are to find how the form of oppression within the story works. It is interesting to find that the oppression works through the act of silencing. To see how silence is interwoven in the story, we have to firstly set some limitation to make possible the discussion on silence itself. The easiest way to do it is by putting the entity in a binary opposition since the text strongly shows binary organization.

Development of skills and attitudes through telling life stories: Reflections on work integrated learning

ABSTRACT Introduction Preparing occupational therapists for work in care facilities for older adults is critical. Life stories of residents have been used in care facilities for older adults to challenge negative stereotypes, in terms of sharing who they are as a person. Occupational therapy students’ complete work-integrated learning by creating life stories, presenting opportunities for students to develop professional skills and meaningful relationships with older adults. Methods A qualitative methodology, immersion/crystallization guided the research process. Twenty students (44%) from one work integrated learning unit participated by submitting their written reflections on the experience of the life story project for analysis. Results Thematic analysis identified four primary themes: learning the craft of occupational therapy; identifying enablers of development; articulating barriers to professional and personal development; and focussing on the person. Conclusion Life story work as work-integrated learning supports occupational therapy students to develop key professional skills and challenges stereotypical misconceptions. Supervision, support, and strong links between faculty and elder care providers are deemed important to achieve positive outcomes.

Preferences of Cognitively Impaired Patients and Patients Living with Dementia: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Patient Preference Studies.

Treatment decisions based on guidelines rather than patients' preferences determine adherence to and compliance with treatment, which, in turn, could improve health-related outcomes. To summarize the stated treatment and care preferences of people with dementia (PwD). A systematic review was conducted to assess the stated preferences of PwD. The inclusion criterion was the use of quantitative methods to elicit stated preferences, enabling a ranking of preferences. Eleven studies revealed preferences for diagnostics, treatment decisions, patient-related outcomes, care services, end-of-life care, leisure activities, and digital life story work. PwDs prefer accurate, pain-free, and comfortable diagnostic procedures without radioactive markers as well as being accompanied by a caregiver. PwD's quality of life (QoL), self-efficacy, and depression were equally most important for PwD and caregivers. However, PwD memory was only important for caregivers but not for PwD, and caregiver QoL was moderately important for PwD but least important for caregivers. Additionally, comfort and family involvement were most important for patients' end-of-life care, whereas caregivers most preferred good communication and pain management. Also, preferences depend on the living situation: Patients living not alone prefer a regular care provider most, whereas those living alone only want to live nearby the caregiver. Preferences for leisure activities did not differ between past and present ratings, indicating that PwD prefer activities that have always been carried out. Only a few studies have applied quantitative methods to elicit the preferences of PwD. More research is needed to capture the stated preferences for the treatment, care, and support of PwD to improve health-related outcomes and the allocation of healthcare resources.

Life story and the arts: A didactic crossroad

The following notes from the field introduces an original approach to working with narrative, storytelling and artistic expression in the framework of the creative and expressive arts therapies. Using an interview methodology developed by Amia Lieblich, a team of creative and expressive arts therapists teaching at The Academic College of Society and the Arts in Netanya, Israel, shares their theoretical observations and practical perspectives about moving from verbal to non-verbal expression of personal and collective stories. These insights emerged during an introductory course that the authors taught to creative and expressive arts therapists. We posit that life story work, both in regard to oneself and to others, from single episode memory or the documentation of the entire life course, may be of tremendous worth in the training of creative and expressive art therapists.

Toward an Understanding of Attunement as an Autobiographical Theory of Education

I explore the concept of attunement in this paper. Informed by my own story and other scholarly work, attunement in this paper is employed to describe an autobiographical theory of education. In such an autobiographical theory of education learning becomes situated not only in the school-subject and specific prior knowledge, but also in one’s subjective sense of intellectual labor. Basically, this paper comprises two sections. In the first I elucidate my understanding of the concept of attunement. Attunement, in this paper, refers to learning guided and experienced by oneself subjectively striving for deeper understanding, during which one searches for meaning as well as begets one’s engagement with the world. In the second, I describe that attunement has three elements: contingency, boundary and sensitivity. Contingency emphasizes the particularity of experience, identified from one’s own perspective; boundary refers to the challenges and difficulties experienced by oneself; sensitivity underscores how one can go beyond one’s boundary subjectively, thus being attuned to new forms of understanding or thinking. Key-words: attunement, contingency, sensitivity, awakening inwardness

Birth Sibling Relationships after Adoption: Experiences of Contact with Brothers and Sisters Living Elsewhere

AbstractWe examined how adoptive families manage and respond to contact with children’s birth siblings living elsewhere within a nationally representative sample of 96 families who adopted a child between 01 July 2014 and 31 July 2015. We harnessed prospective, longitudinal data to determine the extent to which plans for contact between adopted children and birth siblings living elsewhere materialised over time. We present adoptive parents’ views and experiences of the contact over four years, together with an analysis of factors that were thought to have prevented, hindered and/or enabled contact between adopted children and their birth siblings. The information shared by the adoptive families illustrates the challenges they faced in promoting sibling contact; in weighing up the complexities associated with managing contact in the short term against the anticipated benefit for their child in the longer term; of balancing a commitment to sibling contact with the psychological needs of their child; and of organising contact within the context of interactions with other families involved and social work professionals. On the basis of these findings, we make recommendations pertaining to the management of both letterbox and face-to-face contact and life story work, and underscore the importance of investing in sibling relationships.

The Narrative Model for communicating with looked after children about challenging issues

When children are first looked after, a significant challenge for those who support them is helping the children understand the reasons why they are in care. The Narrative Model is a model for supporting social workers to structure conversations with children about their entry to care and other complex issues. This article summarises the Narrative Model and shows how it supports placement stability for children. It clarifies how it differs from life story work and how it includes birth parents in the process. It then describes how the child’s response to the experience of having a narrative shared with them can aid social workers when making decisions about what the child may need next.

PENGGUNAAN BATU CERMAT DALAM MENGEMBANGKAN KEMAMPUAN BERPIKIR KREATIF DAN BUDAYA LITERASI SISWA

Based on the data and experience of researchers in classes that are able to show interest in literacy and critical thinking skills is still low. Therefore, researchers applied the Batu Cermat method. Batu Cermat comes from “baca-tulis-uji-cerpen-matematika,” (read-write-test-short story mathematics). Batu Cermat aims to civilize literacy and instill communication skills, collaborate, think critically, and creatively with students. This article is in the form of qualitative research, the best practice of researchers applying Batu Cermat to students of SMPN 1 Dolopo starting the 2015/216 school year to 2017/2018. The information needed is obtained by the documentation study technique, in the form of using a list of values ​​supported by a questionnaire. Through Batu Cermat, students are given the opportunity to think creatively by making short stories in mathematics. How, with m ema be incorporated math problems or related information in a short story, and be able to solve the problem themselves. The validity is tested its validity with each other carefully and resolved. As a result, students are able to make short, good mathematical nuances of short story work according to the rules of short story writing. Proven Batu Cermat can be a catalyst in civilizing literacy and developing the ability to think creatively students. The Batu Cermat is more optimal, if the reading movement becomes more entrenched and requires patience and cooperation across subjects. Up to now, the students' careful work has published four ISBN short story mathematics books.

Using a systematic review to uncover theory and outcomes for a complex intervention in health and social care: a worked example using life story work for people with dementia.

Life story work involves gathering information about a person, their history and interests, and producing a tangible output, usually a book. It is used increasingly in dementia care. However, theory about if, how, and why it affects outcomes is poorly developed, making the choice of evaluation methods and appropriate outcomes difficult. This article uses a systematic review to uncover theories of change and outcomes for life story work in dementia care. We describe the methods and their use in identifying appropriate outcomes for evaluative research, and their potential for improving evaluation of 'theory poor' interventions. A systematic review, carried out using Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidelines, searched for evidence on underlying theory, good practice, and effectiveness of life story work to inform a feasibility study for the formal evaluation of life story work in dementia care. For the theory element, a 'landscaping review' analysed the extracted text, using qualitative techniques and mind maps to uncover both explicit and implicit causal links between life story work and outcomes. We triangulated the review findings with qualitative research, which used focus groups with people with dementia, caregivers, and professionals that explored the outcomes that they would like to see from life story work. Of the 56 publications reviewed, only 16 were useful for the theory analysis. Six overarching outcomes were identified: the self-worth and empowerment of people with dementia, individual psychological outcomes, improved relationships between care staff and the individual with dementia, better care, more effective engagement of family members/carers within the care setting, and helping carers to cope. Twelve final theories linking these outcomes to life story work via a causal pathway were elicited. There was substantial overlap in the outcomes identified by the review and by carers, people with dementia, and professionals. Together, the results informed our choice of outcome measures for the pilot evaluation. This approach may enable researchers to identify and develop the theory necessary before evaluation of a complex intervention in other under- or un-theorized areas. It has the potential both to shorten development stages (and thereby costs) in intervention research and improve the intervention itself.

Exploring the Work of Stories Is Critical to Understanding a Complex World

Exploring the Work of Stories Is Critical to Understanding a Complex World

Illness narratives and chronic patients' sustainable employability: The impact of positive work stories.

The number of workers with a chronic disease is steadily growing in industrialized countries. To cope with and to give meaning to their illness, patients construct illness narratives, which are widely shared across patient societies, personal networks and the media. This study investigates the influence of these shared illness narratives on patient's working lives, by examining the impact of reading a positive work story versus negative work story on patients' sustainable employability. We expected that this relationship would be mediated by positive emotions and the extent to which the story enhanced awareness of desires future selves, and moderated by identification with story character. An online field experiment with 166 people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in The Netherlands showed that while reading a positive story of a patient with the same condition significantly increased positive emotions, these emotions did not influence sustainable employability. However, reading a positive story was related to higher sustainable employability when patients became more aware of their desired possible future work selves. Finally, identification with the story character moderated the impact of story type on sustainable employability. This study showed that personal engagement with a positive work story of a fellow patient is related to higher sustainable employability. Findings can be helpful for health professionals to empower employees with a chronic disease.

Coping Strategies of the Elderly. Mental Health Intervention Among Old People, Who Live Alone

This study provides insight into the intervention results of my dissertation. The main topic of the dissertation is the mental health care for older people, especially in coping and in maintaining their mental health. Right at the start, I briefly present the literature review of the topic: I write about the concept of mental hygiene, aspects of successful aging, coping strategies, tasks of the old age and the role of a mental health professional in their life. In the intervention section, I shortly summarize the conversations with three elderly people, in the end I describe the results, my own experiences, opinion and draw conclusions. Keywords: old age, coping, resources, life story work, mental health care

Storying Toward Pasin and Luksave: Permeable Relationships Between Papua New Guineans as Researchers and Participants

In Oceania, Papua New Guinea (PNG) appears large in the consciousness of exploring social life through the notion of sociality. Scholarship within the Melanesian region employs sociality to interrogate forms of social life and the different ways research methods account for the understanding of interactions between individuals and communities. Yet for the three PNG authors this assumed coherency between epistemes and method highlighted specific conceptual challenges for us as researchers and participants. We identified with two conceptual notions: “pasin” and “luksave” as distinct Austronesian language ideas derived from Tok Pisin—a creolisation of English utilized as a lingua franca throughout the country. We explored the development of pasin and luksave and the ways the conceptual claims served a dual function of developing a methodological and epistemic pathway toward an ethical assurance of meaningful relationality. We extend on current understanding in two ways. Firstly employing the methodology of story as critique of research assumptions and secondly, extend on the process of story work to suggest storying as a novel but relatable research methodology. Storying such research experiences as both method and epistemic accountability, guided our responsibility toward the relationships we hold to people, community and knowledge. Pasin and luksave embed an emancipatory and de-colonial intent through the guise of oral stories. These intentions in our scholarship fostered a form of coherent expressions of research claim and method assumption and also raised questions for us regarding what decolonizing Papua New Guinea ought to consider. Our paper also highlights a reformulation of the different ways research considers Oceania in particular Melanesia and the Papua New Guinean research context.