”Perheeni on kotiinpalaavat muuttolinnut”. Metaforat ja itsehavainnoinnin kehitys eronneiden kirjallisuusterapiassa – diskurssianalyyttinen ja narratiivinen tutkimus

Abstract

In this thesis I examine the meanings divorced women attached to family in discussions held in poetry therapeutic discussions. I approach this question by looking at the metaphors the women used for their families and the repertoires, which these metaphors derived from. I consider how the the metaphors and the possible change constructed the womens´ narratives of self. This thesis is divided into three parts that focus on different data and research methods. This division is based on the types of data used here. My data consists of the results of a metaphor survey that was conducted three times, the texts produced during writing exercises as the background, six sets of feedback concerning the most significant yielded results from bibliotherapy and the feedback concerning the whole poetry therapeutic process. The reading practices and the analysis of the data used in this study is based on a systematic text analysis, discourse analysis and narrative approach. The results of this research show that creative writing is a helpful method in poetry therapy for female adults who are at turning points in their lives. The most significant change was seen in the improvement of reflection and agency. The participants began to have a dialogue with themselves and could eventually achieve a dynamic and subjective self-awareness. Their understanding of themselves and of others increased. At the same time, the role of the family used as a mirror for the self was reduced. Creative reading also supported this process. Writing down metaphors at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the process also helped to bring about change. During the whole process, the metaphors underwent some changes, but above all the relationship between the writer and the metaphor changed. The participants were freed from metaphors stemming from strict cultural narratives and therefore started to incorporate other kinds of metaphors into their dialogues. The concept of a nuclear family, emphasizing motherhood, changed to reflect new types of family structures and repertoires of nature were incorporated into language use.