Kampen for enheten mennesket : En omsorgsvitenskapelig studie av mennesket i det utålelige

Abstract

The study’s theme emerged through a wonder about what makes someone able to provide care in demanding care situations within mental healthcare, and at the same time maintaining their own health in the long run. The wondering that started in care practice was expanded to understand how individuals who for various reasons find themselves in an intolerable existence and yet are capable of maintaining their health. The aim of this study is to seek a new understanding of what it is like to be and maintain one’s unity as a human being in an intolerable existence. The theoretical perspective is rooted in Eriksson’s caring theory and the concepts, ethos, the unity of the human being, health, and suffering. In addition, special attention is paid to the body. The study has a hermeneutic methodology grounded in Gadamer's hermeneutic tradition of knowledge. The qualitative method design consists of three sub-studies. The first sub-study has research interviews as a method. The conversations were based on an individual work with a body map according to Petzold and Orth. Research persons were nine caregivers in mental healthcare. The interviews were analyzed according to Kvale and Brinkmann’s qualitative method. The data material for the second sub-study was a text, Karl Ove Knausgård's literature, Spring. The data material for the third sub-study was a text from Baruch de Spinoza's work Ethics. The qualitative method for the second and third sub-study was hermeneutic reading according to Koskinen and Lindström. In accordance with the hermeneutic methodology, results from the sub-studies lead to a new understanding and interpretive assumptions in relation to human beings. The movement continues with the interpretive assumptions from the sub-studies being interpreted together. This interpretation resulted in five meaningful themes; Intolerable beingness is recognized in the human being’s struggle for ordinary life, The human being is maintaining unity in intolerable beingness when recognizing the body as the guardian of the soul, The unity of the human being is maintained in intolerable beingness through the art of creating the self, The unity of the human being is maintained in intolerable beingness through the quest to meet the self, and the unity of the human being is maintained in intolerable beingness through the search for calmness within self. The result is presented in the form of a theoretical model. The five meaningful themes are discussed in relation to theory, concepts and previous research and the result from this discussion is presented under four headings: The unity of the human being is maintained through a struggle where the body is the guide, The search to become who one is deep down, sustains and gives the human being the power to act, The unity of the human being is maintained through a strengthening of the active emotional life, The space in between opens up for reflection and is the source of life force in the struggle for the unity of the human being. The study increases the understanding of human being in intolerable being in general and as a caregiver in the intolerable in particular. The results show that caregivers must do a demanding and complex inner work to be able to provide care and maintain their health over time. The body as an informant in human self-understanding is emphasized. The new understanding that emerges shows the importance of human beings acknowledging their own feelings in the intolerable, and the importance of human being's ability to self-care. The importance of human being’s self-reflection and reflection together with other people is of great importance for maintaining health. The study shows that it is important that already in education special attention is paid to some specific topics that must be further developed throughout the practice as a caregiver.