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http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/2069
Title: | The role of art-making in identity maintenance: Case studies of people living with cancer |
Authors: | Reynolds, F Prior, S |
Issue Date: | 2006 |
Publisher: | Blackwell |
Citation: | European Journal of Cancer Care. 15, 333-341 |
Abstract: | The aim of this qualitative research was to understand why some people with cancer take up art as a leisure activity, and how visual art-making in daily life might support identity maintenance/ reconstruction. The study forms part of a larger project with people who view art-making as a resource for living with chronic illness. In order to provide a detailed, holistic analysis, the paper focuses on the accounts and artwork of three participants, two women (aged 47 and 59) each with breast cancer, and a man (aged 51) with stomach and lung cancer. The participants turned to art after a process of reflection but did not necessarily reject their pre-illness lifestyles or selves. Rather, art-making afforded many opportunities to retain familiar personal and social identities, and to resist being dominated by labels related to their illness. A practical implication is that people coping with cancer may need not only cognitive and emotional support, but opportunities to find meaningful activities. Such activities can be understood to have a powerful role in maintaining a familiar, positive identity in cancer, and providing a resource for coping. |
URI: | http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/2069 |
Appears in Collections: | Dept of Health Sciences Research Papers |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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reynolds prior EJCC.pdf | 234.49 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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