Navigating the complexities of Acquired Brain Injury: Theorising everyday activities in identity (re)construction

Harvey, Jonathan Neil (2014). Navigating the complexities of Acquired Brain Injury: Theorising everyday activities in identity (re)construction. PhD thesis The Open University.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.0000ef0f

Abstract

This thesis explores the (re )construction of identity after acquired brain injury (ABI). Within this thesis I draw meaning from the everyday experiences of six male ABI survivors and critically investigate their identity (re)construction after their ABI. As well as demonstrating identity (re)construction after ABI, the experiences of the participants have allowed me to investigate neurological rehabilitation after ABI from the perspective of ABI survivors. I seek to achieve a greater understanding of the identities of the participants through enlisting the explanatory qualities of contemporary social theory emphasising the fluidity of identity. As I am a brain injury survivor as well as the researcher in the study, this thesis also explores my experiences of rehabilitation following ABI, as well as my impact on the study. This thesis suggests that rehabilitation after ABI is often a continual process that extends beyond the formal, medically prescribed period. It is suggested further that identity after ABI is often (re )constructed in an unpredictable way; a way that emphasises the importance of reciprocal support and the uncertainty of future life.

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