Service Users' Self-Narratives on Their Journey from Shame to Pride: Tales of Transition

Abstract

As part of a course on changing attitudes developed by KREM, a Norwegian service user organization, narratives are used to explore and understand identity formation. The process is based on the role of shame in the lives of those whose life experiences lead to a reliance on government social benefits to sustain themselves. Shame is identified as an obstacle that affects everyday life and undermines one's capacity to take actions that can lead to and support self-sufficiency. Exploring oneself through the construction of the fairy tale can provide service users with a renewed sense of empowerment. Using identity formation and the concept of shame as the conceptual framework, this analysis focuses on the use of narratives to construct and interpret stories. It concludes with both practice and research implications of using narratives to acquire an understanding and sensitivity to service user perspectives.

Keywords::

• Service user involvement
• shame
• narrative
• identity
• empowerment
• social work

Notes

^1. A collection of fairy tales is published in Fairy Tales from Reality (2011), edited by Sidsel Natland and Hilde Dalen.

^2. Interviews conducted by Hilde Dalen Celik during fall 2013.