Configurations of Time in Bereaved Parents’ Narratives

In this study, we examined the configurations of time within narratives of bereaved Israeli parents, employing Gadamer’s hermeneutic philosophy as the research methodology. Our results reveal that following a sudden violent loss, parents experienced a change in their sense of time. Three nonexclusiv...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Qualitative health research 2014-08, Vol.24 (8), p.1090-1101
Main Authors: Barak, Adi, Leichtentritt, Ronit D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Grief
Medical personnel
Parents & parenting
Research methodology
Social sciences
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In this study, we examined the configurations of time within narratives of bereaved Israeli parents, employing Gadamer’s hermeneutic philosophy as the research methodology. Our results reveal that following a sudden violent loss, parents experienced a change in their sense of time. Three nonexclusive time possibilities were evident in the participants’ narratives: time stopped, time moved forward, and time moved backward. Although most of the social science literature highlights the importance of linear temporal configuration to enhance the coherence of text, based on our study we call for other forms of temporal ordering, as varied time configurations were used by the bereaved and were perceived to have beneficial outcomes. Finally, we outline implications for mental health professionals.
ISSN:1049-7323
1552-7557
DOI:10.1177/1049732314541173