Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2008This narrative research in communication addresses the lived experience of individuals who have suffered stroke. Specifically, I examine how the realities people create and the relationships they enact contribute to their sense of identity after the occurrence of a stroke. Health crises are times of reconstitution of self and relationships (Lorber, 1997). The present research has been conducted from a human science perspective, employing the epistemology of constructionism, the theory of social construction of reality, and narrative inquiry and conversational interviewing to produce an understanding of the experience of life after stroke. In this study, stroke survivors are considered active interpreters, managers, and creators of the meaning of their health and illness.1. Review of related literature -- 1.1. Statement of the problem and goals of the research -- 1.2. Research on stroke rehabilitation -- 1.3. Social construction of illness : what does recovery mean? -- 1.4. Social construction of identity -- 1.5. The role of social support -- 2. Research methodologies -- 2.1. Research contexture -- 2.1.1.Ontology and epistemology -- 2.1.2. Theoretical perspective -- 2.1.3. Research methodology -- 2.1.4. Method : conversational interviewing -- 2.1.5. Method : thematic analysis -- 2.2. Participants -- 2.3. Procedure -- 2.4. Researcher as research tool -- 3. Narrative perspectives -- 3.1. Prudence's conversational interview -- 3.2. Julia's conversational interview -- 3.3. Michelle's conversational interview -- 3.4. Eleanor's conversational interview -- 3.5. Lucy's conversational interview -- 4. Human science research analysis -- 4.1. Theme one : I'm a survivor -- 4.2. Theme two : talk to me normal! -- 4.3. Theme three : I am a better person now -- 4.4. Theme four : I need support -- 4.5. Conclusion and prospects for further inquiry -- References -- Appendix
