Narrative Construction of Distress and Therapy: A Model Based on Work with Ultra-Orthodox Jews  

Oleh:

Witztum, Eliezer ; Goodman, Yehuda

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Transcultural Psychiatry vol. 36 no. 4 (Des. 1999), page 403–436.
Topik: cross-cultural therapy; Israel; narrative construction of distress; narrative therapy; Ultra-Orthodox Jews
Fulltext: 403TP364.pdf (339.16KB)

Isi artikel

Based on therapeutic work and research carried out in a psychiatric clinic in Israel that specializes in the Jewish Ultra-Orthodox community, we suggest a culturally adapted narrative paradigm for the understanding and treatment of mental disorders. We analyze five stories of illness to show how individual distress is constructed as a dramatic narrative inspired by shared cultural symbols and enacted in specific interpersonal and social contexts. The proposed model is grounded in mental illness narratives told by anti-heroes, the patients, who are trapped in relationships with non-human figures. The therapeutic interventions aim to help them find and exercise alternative plots that adhere to common cultural themes in their society, in which they become active agents. Culture-sensitive 'reading' of such narrativization processes, combined with strategic psychological considerations, is important for successful therapeutic efforts in cross-cultural settings, and also aids in the creation of an empathic attitude and a therapeutic alliance.

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