The Narratives of Illness and Recovery
PSYC 331
Spring 2014
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01
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A detailed examination of primarily first-person accounts of illness and recovery. The focus will be on narratives that deal with mental illnesses and trauma or the psychological aspects of physical illnesses. We will explore the relationship of story and narrative to the healing process. Students will analyze across texts the common psychological traits that lead to recovery and generativity, as well as the response to loss and the experience of suffering. Particular emphasis will also be placed on the role of "the wounded healer," those persons who have suffered and then choose to assist others who face similar predicaments. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS PSYC |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (PSYC) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Books:
William Styron, DARKNESS VISIBLE 0679643524
Kay Redfield Jamison, AN UNQUIET MIND: A MEMOIR OF MOODS AND MADNESS 0679443746
Robert Graves, GOODBYE TO ALL THAT 0385093306
Charles Barber, SONGS FROM THE BLACK CHAIR 0803259751
Sylvia Nasar, A BEAUTIFUL MIND 9781451628425
Ralph Ellison, INVISIBLE MAN 0679732764 (excerpts)
O. Henry, A RETRIEVED REFORMATION 0895987589
Alice Sebold, LUCKY 0316096199
F. Scott Fitzgerald, THE CRACK-UP 0811218201
Pat Barker, REGENERATION 0452270073
A.W. Frank, THE WOUNDED STORYTELLER 0226259935
Rita Charon, NARRATIVE MEDICINE: HONORING THE STORIES OF ILLNESS 0195166752
Shadd Maruna, MAKING GOOD: HOW EX-OFFENDERS REBUILD THEIR LIVES 155787319
Mark Freeman, HINDSIGHT: THE PROMISE AND PERIL OF LOOKING BACKWARD. 9780195389937
Selected Articles:
McAdams, D. P., Bauer, J. J., Sakaeda, A., Anyidoho, N. ! A., Machado, M., Magrino, K., White, K. W., & Pals, J. L (2006). CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN THE LIFE STORY: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORIES IN EMERGING ADULTHOOD. Journal of Personality: 1371-1400.
McAdams, D. P. (2006). THE REDEMPTIVE SELF: GENERATIVITY AND THE STORIES AMERICANS LIVE BY. Research in Human Development: 81-100.
Adler, J.M. (2012). LIVING INTO THE STORY: AGENCY AND COHERENCE IN A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF NARRATIVE IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AND MENTAL HEALTH OVER THE COURSE OF PSYCHOTHERAPY. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(2), 367-389.
Singer, J. A. (2004), NARRATIVE IDENTITY AND MEANING MAKING ACROSS THE ADULT LIFESPAN: AN INTRODUCTION. Journal of Personality, 72: 437-460.
Pennebaker, J.W. (2003). TELLING STORIES: THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF DISCLOSURE. In J. M. Wilce, Jr. (Ed.), Social and cultural lives of immune systems (pp. 19-34). London: Routledge.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Reading of approximately one book a week. Six to eight 1 to 3 page short papers; one 15 to 30 page final paper. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Students will apply by completing a brief questionnaire examining their background and level of engagement with the material. Please send Prof. Barber an email.
The instructor is currently conducting a multi-year qualitative and quantitative study of the life stories of ex-offenders at a halfway house in New Haven. Narratives are coded and analyzed for strength-based measures reflector generativity and self-agency, and the relationship of these factors to future recidivism will be tracked. The instructor will draw upon this study in class discussions and materials. |
| Instructor(s): Barber,Charles Times: ..T.... 07:00PM-09:50PM; Location: WYL115; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 19 | Permission of instructor approval will be granted by the instructor during pre-registration through the Electronic Portfolio. Click "Add to My Courses" and "To request a POI electronically, click here" to submit your request. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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