The role of art-making in identity maintenance: case studies of people living with cancer

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative research was to understand why some people with cancer take up art as a leisure activity, and how visual art-making in daily life might support identity maintenance/ reconstruction. The study forms part of a larger project with people who view art-making as a resource for living with chronic illness. In order to provide a detailed, holistic analysis, the paper focuses on the accounts and artwork of three participants, two women (aged 47 and 59) each with breast cancer, and a man (aged 51) with stomach and lung cancer. The participants turned to art after a process of reflection but did not necessarily reject their pre-illness lifestyles or selves. Rather, art-making afforded many opportunities to retain familiar personal and social identities, and to resist being dominated by labels related to their illness. A practical implication is that people coping with cancer may need not only cognitive and emotional support, but opportunities to find meaningful activities. Such activities can be understood to have a powerful role in maintaining a familiar, positive identity in cancer, and providing a resource for coping.

The role of occupational participation and environment among Icelandic women with breast cancer: A qualitative study

“…Through occupational participation they were able to organize time, manage emotional distress, and get some control of their own health, which reinforced their sense of health and normality and encouraged them to go on with their lives. Studies have shown that women with cancer use occupations as a coping strategy [13,20,36]. Furthermore, the healing power of occupation for people dealing with chronic diseases is widely recognized [37][38][39].…”

La fotografía terapéutica como forma de re-significación del cuerpo con mastectomía

“…En el contexto de mujeres con mastectomía el arte juega un rol fundamental en el proceso de re-configurar las identidades positivas que tienen de sí mismas (Reynolds & Prior, 2006). La fotografía terapéutica asiste a las mujeres en el proceso de comunicar experiencias que difícilmente se pueden traducir en palabras.…”

“…La relación arte y salud permite explorar la construcción discursiva de las enfermedades para investigar cómo los miembros de un grupo social interactúan con aquellos que experimentan la enfermedad y cómo los pacientes asumen su cotidianidad (Conrad & Barker, 2010). El arte-terapia tiene el potencial de inspirar a los pacientes a comunicar la marginalidad social, el malestar físico, el dolor y el trauma (Álvarez, 2010;Reynolds & Prior, 2006;Funes, 2009;Zenil & Alvarado, 2007).…”

Medical Art Therapy

“…[21][22][23] Hastalıklarının getirdiği etkilere uyum geliştirmede, pozitif bir rol oluşturmada ve kanserle mücadelede birçok fırsat sunar. [24] Hastalara destek, psikolojik güç, hastalık-larıyla ilgili yeni içgörü kazanma gibi birçok faydası bulunur. [21] Yapılan çalışmalarda sanat terapisi uygulamalarının kadınların anksiyete, depresyon ve yorgunluk hissini azalttığı, stres belirtilerinde belirgin bir azalma ve sağlıkla bağlantılı yaşam kalitesinde ise belirgin artışa neden olduğu saptanmış-tır.…”