The Self and Spirituality: Overcoming Narrative Loss in Aging

As humans we make sense of our Selves and our world through narrativization, a process which concerns matters of purpose, truth, and values. This is at one and the same time a spiritual activity as both spirituality and narrative involve a sense of openness and indeterminacy, and the generation of m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of religion & spirituality in social work Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 205 - 222
Main Authors: Baldwin, Clive, Estey, Jennifer
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Routledge 03-04-2015
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Summary:As humans we make sense of our Selves and our world through narrativization, a process which concerns matters of purpose, truth, and values. This is at one and the same time a spiritual activity as both spirituality and narrative involve a sense of openness and indeterminacy, and the generation of meaning and purpose. As we age, however, physical, mental, and social changes may disrupt how we narrativize our lives resulting in "narrative loss." With reference to mental health, we explore such narrative losses and some possible ways of countering these, drawing on practices in spiritual direction and narrative theory.
ISSN:1542-6432
1542-6440
DOI:10.1080/15426432.2014.999978