A tale of two widows: investigating meaning-making and identity development through writing in the face of grief

ABSTRACT

In this article we explore the grieving-through-writing process of two researchers who dialogue about spousal loss. Drawing on the idea that bereavement requires meaning-making, we engage in an interview-style conversation about how (1) we each made sense of our spouse's death, (2) experienced Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) as described by Calhoun and Tedeschi [(2006). Handbook of posttraumatic growth: Research and practice. Routledge], and (c) underwent identity change. Through a “researcher as practitioner” lens, we conceptualise identity change using Dialogical Self Theory and engage in writing as a therapeutic narrative re-storying process. We note that each of us differed with regards to when we wrote about our loss. The work is intended to contribute to the grief literature and can support counselling and writing-for-wellbeing practices..

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors, Katrin Den Elzen & Reinekke Lengelle, upon reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Katrin Den Elzen

Katrin Den Elzen, PhD, uses writing for wellbeing with people in grief. She also works as a researcher and has recently completed a research study on writing for wellbeing with participants in grief, both due to bereavement and other losses, to evaluate its effectiveness beyond the expressive writing paradigm. She is a sessional academic with Curtin University, Perth, Australia.

Reinekke Lengelle

Reinekke Lengelle, PhD, is associate professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Athabasca University, in Canada, and a Researcher at the Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Her book “Writing the self in bereavement: A story of love, spousal loss, and resilience” was published by Routledge in 2021 and won two awards.