Expressed Sense of Self by People With Alzheimer's Disease in a Support Group Interpreted in Terms of Agency and Communion.
The self is constructed in cooperation with other people and social context influences how people perceive and express it. People with Alzheimer's disease (AD) often receive insufficient support in constructing their preferred selves, but little is known about how they express themselves together with other people with AD. In accordance with Harré's social constructionist theory of self, this study aimed to describe how five people with mild and moderate AD express their Self 2 (i.e., their personal attributes and life histories) in a support group with a facilitator experienced in communicating with people with AD. The participants' expressions of their Self 2 were analyzed with qualitative abductive content analysis and interpreted in terms of agency and communion and a lack of agency and communion. The findings highlight the importance of supporting a sense of agency and communion when assisting people with AD in constructing their self.
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden ragnhild.hedman@esh.se.
Ragnhild
R
Hedman
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden.
Görel
G
Hansebo
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden.
Britt-Marie
BM
Ternestedt
Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden Linköping University, Sweden.
Ingrid
I
Hellström
Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden Umeå University, Sweden.
Astrid
A
Norberg
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D004532:Ego; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D012657:Self-Help Groups
Alzheimer’s disease; agency; communion; self; support group