Writing and Sharing Life: Older Women’s Experiences in a Grassroots Writing Group
Date
2018-04-24
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0000-0002-1250-7330
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
This narrative inquiry explored the experiences of three older women who belonged to an ongoing community-based writing group. The meaningfulness and personal impact of writing and sharing stories with other older women was investigated. Field texts were gathered from semi-structured interviews, participant writing samples, and participant observation. Narrative threads that connected the women’s experiences were identified, and two overarching findings were generated; engagement with the writing group was understood to enhance (1) the women’s sense of self-compassion, and (2) their hopefulness for the future. The present inquiry extends research on adaptive aging and suggests new directions for both practice and research in this area.
Description
Keywords
Narrative inquiry, Writing, Writing group, Women, Aging, Self-compassion, Hope
Citation
Degree
Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Department
Educational Psychology and Special Education
Program
School and Counselling Psychology