Communicating stroke: a narrative inquiry

Abstract

This 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.