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Institutional Narratives in the Discourse Between Oncology Social Workers and Cancer Patients Self-Help OrganizationSpitzer Department of Social Work and Israeli Center for Qualitative Methodologies (ICQM), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Department of Education, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel In this study, the authors examine a discourse between members of a cancer patients self-help organization (CP-SHO) and oncological social workers (OSWs) on support groups for cancer patients. Eight OSWs and 8 CP-SHO volunteers served as the key research population. Using the interpretive-narrative approach to research, the authors apply a variety of data collection methods and a combination of data analysis methods: narrative analysis and discourse analysis. The findings point to the simultaneous existence of two institutional narratives for each organization, one internal and the other external. Discourse between the organizations takes place mainly at the external institutional narrative level, with each body maintaining the mistaken impression that the others perception of reality is similar to its own (false consensus). In the meantime, the internal narratives that attest to the latent meaning of the discourse govern the interaction and prevent effective dialogue between the respective organizations.
Key Words: institutional narrative self-help organizations oncology social work discourse
Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 15, No. 7,
861-880 (2005) |
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