Advancing an understanding of selves in transition: I-positions as an analytical tool

Abstract

Self-identity work appears to be a challenge for many service members as they transition and reintegrate into civilian life. When other cultural influences seem to threaten an established self as it labors with transition, tension and conflict may arise and can potentially impact mental health. Insights from an ongoing longitudinal project on the subject matter indicate that an analysis of an individual, which utilizes the concept of I-positions may serve as a useful analytical tool during these processes. A longitudinal methodology combining a narrative approach with such an exploration of I-positions derived from a dialogical self framework may prove to be a promising avenue to advance the understanding of selves in transition beyond the dichotomy of the military and civilian spheres. The bridging capacity of I-positions lies partly in the capacity of significant others to link the self to both spheres and to help fill the perceived void between these two realms, which in reality may be overlapping and intertwined. The findings suggest, facilitated by two case study examples, that military transition to civilian life may benefit from a dialogical approach. This dialogical mind-set could even already be introduced and established during basic training. However, there is also a shared responsibility for individuals in civilian contexts to invite former service members into open dialogue just as the service members themselves shall strive to initiate earnest dialogue. Future research is encouraged to widen the methodology and knowledge of selves in transition.

Making dialogue with an existential voice in transition from military to civilian life

“…A dialogical self evolves in complex ways, as was seen in another case study from the same project. In the case of Sergeant Helen ( Grimell, 2017a ), it was revealed in the first interview about 2 years after her deployment in Afghanistan that she had experienced great difficulties reconciling her civilian activist position and her military position. During the second interview, after several years as a student, she narrated that she had been encouraged by military peers to redeploy to a war zone and was scheduled to do just that in the following weeks.…”

“…The results from the case studies, as already published in several articles, suggest that a military culture shapes a military story of “who I am” which creates a specific, sometimes vociferous, military I-position within the multiplicity of self ( Grimell, 2015 ). Military and civilian I-positions, displayed as storied characters of the self, often demonstrate opposing narrative characteristics ( Grimell, 2017a ). Transition from military to civilian life calls for some type of reorganization of the self as pre-existing and new I-positions are supposed to function in a workable way, yet in a different cultural context; friction and tension may then increase in the self during the process.…”

“…In the published case study of Sergeant Erik ( Grimell, 2015 , 2017b ) the development of a third position as a reserve officer was suggested to function as a mediator between conflicting military and civilian positions in the self during the transition from multiple deployments in Afghanistan into a hybrid civilian/military life. Meanwhile, in the published case study of Sergeant Helen, previously opposing military and civilian I-positions became dialogical over time through a reformulated relationship and construction of meaning between the military and civilian positions in the self which allowed for cooperation and room for both to coexist ( Grimell, 2017a ). Taking another path, the case of Lieutenant John, who returned to full-time service, demonstrated that the self, over time, became integrated into civilian culture and life by entering into a steady relationship with a girlfriend, a development which included the prospect of marriage and children ( Grimell, 2017a ).…”

“…Meanwhile, in the published case study of Sergeant Helen, previously opposing military and civilian I-positions became dialogical over time through a reformulated relationship and construction of meaning between the military and civilian positions in the self which allowed for cooperation and room for both to coexist ( Grimell, 2017a ). Taking another path, the case of Lieutenant John, who returned to full-time service, demonstrated that the self, over time, became integrated into civilian culture and life by entering into a steady relationship with a girlfriend, a development which included the prospect of marriage and children ( Grimell, 2017a ).…”

A Different Take on the Liminal Process of Veterans Reintegration in Cultural Psychology

“…Using this understanding, cultural dissonance is created when the self, affected heavily by the I's surroundings, comes into conflict with the new signs of meaning making, internalized in his/her notion of the other in me (Grimell 2017). Thus, the veterans' own experiences are treated as not normal, and a dissonance occurs.…”