Metaphor Shifts in Stroke Recovery

Abstract

An illness event like stroke is generally believed to produce a biographical disruption in the individual, resulting in a reconstruction of one's self identity. One method of narrative reconstruction is the use of personal metaphor. Although previous research has illustrated a variety of illness metaphors, including that of war, there has been little research conducted on how these metaphors shift throughout a person's recovery period. The authors present data that indicate an intricate connection exists among changes in individuals' physical functioning, self-reported depression level, self-identity, and the metaphors they use to describe the stroke and stroke recovery experience. As the metaphor one uses to describe one's stroke experience shifts, so does one's sense of self. As one's self-identity changes, one's level of self-reported depression may also increase.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This article is based on data from a study funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research and Development, Department Services Grant NRI981831 to Maude R. Rittman, principal investigator and is partially supported by the Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center; North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Affairs Medical Center.