“Ruh”un Şekillenmesi: Bir Durum Çalışması

Bu makalede, askeri hayattan sivil hayata geçiş sürecine manevi bir perspektif ekleyerek, boylamsal bir yaklaşımla bu olgunun psikolojik boyutunun incelenmesini amaçlayan bir durum çalışması sunulmaktadır. Bu çalışmada incelenen vaka, sivil hayata geçiş sürecinde kimlik inşası üzerine yürütülen bir araştırma projesinde izlenen bir gruba örneklik teşkil etmektedir. Bu birey, grup içindeki diğerlerine benzer bir şekilde askeri ben-konumunun (I-position) “sivil olma” sürecinde umulmadık şekilde seyreden bir dönüşümünü tecrübe etmektedir. Bu çalışmada, benlik üzerindeki boylamsal dönüşümleri daha iyi açıklamak için kimlik çalışması bakımından diyalojik bir yaklaşım kullanılmaktadır. Benliğin zaman içindeki, önceden var olan ve yeni ben-konumları arasındaki anlatı gelişmeleri ve etkileşimleri üzerindeki analiz, 2014-2016 yıllarını arasında üç kez yapılan mülakatlarda elde edilen verilere dayanarak yapılmıştır. Sonuçlar, sivil yaşama geçiş süreci boyunca askeri bir ben-konumu belirginleştiğinde ve seslendirildiğinde, bu seslendirmelerin, benliğin belirli bir konumunda yer alan bir benliğin “ruh”uyla ilişkili olabileceği fikrini ortaya çıkarmaktadır. Aktif hizmetten ayrıldıktan sonra askeri ben-konumundaki büyüme, “Ben kimim” sorusu ve bu konuma atfedilen derin anlam ekseninde açıklanabilir. Askeri ben-konumun büyü- mesini istenmedik bir gelişme olarak ele almak yerine bireyin bunu benlik ve yaşamın derin bir boyutu olarak ele alması yerinde olacaktır. Dengeyi ve diyaloğu sürdürmek için bu tür bir sürecin dışa vurulabileceği mecralar bulmak da önem arz etmektedir. Gelecekteki araştırmalarda, bu nitel bulguların daha ayrıntılı olarak incelenmesi teşvik edilmektedir.

Embodiment of the Spirit: A Case Study

Adopting a longitudinal approach to exploring the psychology of the transition from military to civilian life, one case study is presented that adds a spiritual perspective to the transition process. This case study serves as an example representative from a group of participants who have been followed through a research project on identity reconstruction during the transition to civilian life. This individual, not unlike many others within the group, undergoes an unexpected progression of the military I-position of the self throughout the process of becoming a civilian. This study utilizes a dialogical approach to the identity work to further the understanding of longitudinal adjustments to the self. An analysis of the narrative developments and interactions among pre-existing and new I-positions of the self over time has been made based upon three annually conducted interviews spanning from 2014 to 2016. The results lead to the suggestion that if a military I-position of the self grows more salient and voiced throughout the process of transitioning into civilian life, then this vocalization may be related to the spirit of a person embodied in a specific I-position of the self. Such growth of a military I-position after leaving active service may gravitate around a deep sense of “who I am” with a profound sense of meaning attached to this position. Instead of perceiving as an unwanted development the growth of a military sense of “who I am,” one should acknowledge it as a deeper dimension of self and life. It is important to find an outlet for such a progression of the self so as to sustain balance and dialogue. Future research is encouraged to further examine these qualitative findings.

___

  • Bakhtin, M. (1973). Problems of Dostoevsky’s poetics (2nd ed.; R. W. Rotsel, Trans.). Ann Arbor, MI: Ardis. (Original work published 1929 as Problemy tvorchestva Dostoevskogo [Problems of Dostoevsky's Art].)
  • Beder, J. (2012). Those who have served in Afghanistan/Iraq. In J. Beder (Ed.), Advances in social work practice with the military (pp. 137⎼147). New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
  • Bragin, M. (2010). Can anyone here know who I am? Co-constructing meaningful narratives with combat veterans. Clinical Social Work Journal, 38(3), 316⎼326. doi: 10.1007/s10615-0267-4
  • Brunger, H., Serrato, J., & Ogden, J. (2013). “No man’s land”: The transition to civilian life. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 5(2), 86⎼100.
  • Bryan, C. J., Graham, E., & Roberge, E. (2015). Living a life worth living: Spirituality and suicide risk in military personnel. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 2(1), 74–78. doi.org/10.1037/scp0000056
  • Bryan, C. J., & Morrow, C. E. (2011). Circumventing mental health stigma by embracing the warrior culture: Lessons learned from the Defender’s Edge Program. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice, 42(1), 16⎼23. doi: org/10.1037/a0022290
  • Buell, S. D. (2010). Life is a cruise: What does it mean to be a retired naval officer transitioning into civilian world? St. Paul, MN: University of St. Thomas.
  • Clandinin, J. D., & Connelly, M. F. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. San Francisco, CA: Wiley Imprint.
  • Coll, J. E., Weiss, E. L., & Yarvis, J. S. (2012). No one leaves unchanged - Insights for civilian mental health care: Professionals into the military experience and culture. In J. Beder (Ed.), Advances in social work practice with the military (pp. 18⎼33). New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
  • Crossley, M. L. (2000). Introducing narrative psychology: Self, trauma and the construction of meaning. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.
  • Currier, J. M., Kuhlman, S., & Smith, P. N. (2015). Empirical and ethical considerations for addressing spirituality among veterans and other military populations at risk for suicide. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 2(1), 68–73. doi.org/10.1037/scp0000057
  • Day, J. M., & Jesus, P. (2013). Epistemic subjects, discursive selves, and dialogical self theory in the psychology of moral and religious development: Mapping gaps and bridges. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 26(2), 137⎼148. doi: 10.1080/10720537.2013.759030
  • Devries, M. R., Hughes, K. H., Watson, H., & Moore, B. A. (2012). Understanding the military culture. In B. A. Moore (Ed.), Handbook of counseling military couples (pp. 7⎼18). New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.
  • Dickstein, B. D., Vogt, D. S., Handa, S., & Litz, B. T. (2010). Targeting self-stigma in returning military personnel and veterans: A review of intervention strategies. Military Psychology, 22, 224⎼236. doi: org/10.1080/08995600903417399
  • Drops, G. J. (2004). Change in self-concept and identity during a time of mid-life transition. In Dissertation Abstracts International: The sciences and engineering. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms.
  • Ellens, J. H. (2011). Light from the other side: The paranormal as friend and familiar (real life experiences of a spiritual pilgrim). Eugene, OR: Resource publications.
  • Ellens, J. H. (2008). Understanding religious experiences: What the Bible says about spirituality. Westport, CT: Preager.
  • French, S. E. (2005). The code of the warrior: Exploring warrior values past and present. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
  • Ganzevoort, R. R. (1998). Reading by the lines: Proposal for a narrative analytical technique in empirical theology. Journal of Empirical Theology, 11(2), 23⎼40.
  • Goldstein, J. S. (2001). War and gender: How gender shapes the war system and vice versa. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Grimell, J. (2015a). The story of the self in the aftermath of crisis: A case study. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 29(1), 66⎼79. doi: 10.1080/10720537.2015.1079509
  • Grimell, J. (2015b). A transitional narrative of military identity: Eric’s story. International Journal for Dialogical Science, 9(1), 135⎼157.
  • Grimell, J. (2016a). Existential spiritual life among Swedish service members in transition: Marking out trends. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 3(3), 208⎼219.
  • Grimell, J. (2016b). A service member’s self in transition: A longitudinal case study analysis. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 21(2), 1⎼15.
  • Hall, L. K. (2012a). The importance of understanding military culture. In J. Beder (Ed.), Advances in social work practice with the military (pp. 3⎼17). New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
  • Hall, L. K. (2012b). The military lifestyle and the relationship. In B. A. Moore (Ed.), Handbook of counseling military couples (pp. 137⎼156). New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.
  • Haynie, J. M., & Shepherd, D. (2011). Toward a theory of discontinuous career transition: Investigating career transitions necessitated by traumatic life events. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(3), 501⎼524. doi: 10.1037/a0021450
  • Heelas, P. (2008). Spiritualties of life: New Age romanticism and consumptive capitalism. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
  • Heelas, P., & Woodhead, L. (2005). The spiritual revolution: Why religion is giving way to spirituality. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
  • Hermans, H. J. M. (1996). Opposites in a dialogical self: Constructs of characters. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 9, 1⎼26.
  • Hermans, H. J. M. (1997). Dissociation as disorganized self-narrative: Tension between splitting and integration. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 7(3), 213⎼223.
  • Hermans, H. J. M. (1999). Dialogical thinking and self-innovation. Culture and Psychology, 5(1), 67⎼87.
  • Hermans, H. J. M. (2001a). The dialogical self: Toward a theory of personal and cultural positioning. Culture & Psychology, 7(3), 243⎼281. doi: 10.1177/1354067X0173001
  • Hermans, H. J. M. (2001b). The construction of a personal position repertoire. Culture and Psychology, 7, 323–366.
  • Hermans, H. J. M. (2002). The dialogical self as a society of mind: Introduction. Theory & Psychology, 12(2), 147⎼160. doi: 10.1177/0959354302122001
  • Hermans, H. J. M. (2003). The construction and reconstruction of a dialogical self. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 16, 89-130. doi: 10.1080/10720530390117902
  • Hermans, H. J. M. (2004). Introduction: The dialogical self in a global and digital age. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 4, 297⎼320. doi: 10.1207/s1532706xid0404_1
  • Hermans, H. J. M. (2008). How to perform research on the basis of dialogical self theory? Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 21, 185⎼199. doi: 10.1080/10720530802070684
  • Hermans, H. J. M. (2013). The dialogical self in education: Introduction. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 26(2), 81⎼89. doi: 10.1080/10720537.2013.759018
  • Hermans, H. J. M., & Dimaggio, G. (2007). Self, identity, and globalization in times of uncertainty: A dialogical analysis. Review of General Psychology, 11(1), 31⎼61. doi: org/10.1037/1089-2680.11.1.31
  • Hermans, H. J. M., & Hermans-Konopka, A. (2010). Dialogical self theory: Positioning and counter-positioning in a globalizing society. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
  • Hermans, H. J. M., & Hermans-Jansen, E. (1995). Self-narratives: The construction of meaning in psychotherapy. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Hermans, H. J. M., Kempen, H. J. G., & Van Loon, R. J. P. (1992). The dialogical self: beyond individualism and rationalism. American Psychologist, 47, 23⎼33. doi: org/10.1037/0003-066X.47.1.23
  • James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology (Vol. 1). London, UK: Macmillan.
  • Kim, P. Y., Britt, T. W., Klocko, R. P., Riviere, L. A., & Adler, A. B. (2011). Stigma, negative attitudes about treatment, and utilization of mental health care among soldiers. Military Psychology, 23, 65⎼81. doi: 10.1080/08995605.2011.534415
  • Kopacz, M. S., & Connery, A., L. (2015). The veteran spiritual struggle. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 2(1), 61–67. doi: org/10.1037/scp0000059
  • Kvale, S. (2007). Doing interviews. London, UK: Sage.
  • Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2009). Den kvalitativa forskningen (2.a upplagan) [Qualitative research (2nd ed.)]. Lund, Sweden: Studentlitteratur AB.
  • Mahoney, A. (2013). The spirituality of us: Relational spirituality in the context of family relationships. In K. I. Pargament, J. J. Exline, & J. Jones (Eds.), APA handbooks in psychology: APA handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality: Vol 1. Context, theory, and research (pp. 365–389). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  • Mancuso, J. C. (1986). The acquisition and use of narrative grammar structure. In T. R. Sarbin (Ed.), Narrative psychology: The storied nature of human conduct (pp. 91⎼110). Westport, CT: Praeger.
  • Mancuso, J. C., & Sarbin, T. R. (1983). The self-narrative in the enactment of roles. In T. R. Sarbin & K.. Scheibe (Eds.) Studies in social identity (pp. 254⎼273). New York, NY: Praeger.
  • McAdams, D. P. (1988). Power, intimacy and the life story: Personological inquiries into identity. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • McAdams, D. P. (1997). The stories we live by: Personal myths and the making of the self. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • McAdams, D. P. (2013). The redemptive self: Stories Americans live by. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  • McAdams, D. P., Josselson, R., & Lieblich, A. (Eds.). (2002). Turns in the road: Narrative studies of lives in transition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  • McAdams, D. P., Josselson, R., & Lieblich, A. (Eds.). (2006). Identity and story: Creating self in narrative. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Books.
  • Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, self, and society. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
  • Mishler, E. G. (1986). The analysis of interview-narratives. In T. R. Sarbin (Ed.), Narrative psychology: The storied nature of human conduct (pp. 233-255). Westport, CT: Praeger.
  • Mishler, E. G. (1991). Research interviewing: Context and narrative. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Mishler, E. G. (2004). Storylines: Craftartists’ narratives of identity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Moore, B. A. (Ed.). (2012). Handbook of counseling military couples. New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.
  • Noy, C. (2008). Sample knowledge: The hermeneutics of snowball sampling in qualitative research. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 11(4), 327⎼344. doi: 10.1080/13645570701401305
  • Otto, R. (1928). The idea of the holy: An inquiry into the nonrational factor in the idea of the divine and its relation to the rational (J. W. Harvey, Trans). London, UK: Oxford University Press.
  • Pargament, K. I. (1997). The psychology of religion and coping: Theory, research, practice. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Pargament, K. I. (1999). The psychology of religion and spirituality?: Yes and no. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 9, 3⎼16. doi: 10.1207/s15327582ijpr0901_2
  • Pargament, K. I. (2008). The sacred character of community life. American Journal of Community Psychology, 41, 22–34. doi: 10.1007/s10464-007-9150-z
  • Pargament, K. I. (2011). Spirituality integrated psychotherapy: Understanding and addressing the sacred. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
  • Pargament, K. I., Lomax, J. W., Shealy McGee, J., & Fang, Q. (2014). Sacred moments in psychotherapy from the perspectives of mental health providers and clients: Prevalence, predictors, and consequences. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 1(4), 248⎼262. doi: org/10.1037/scp0000043
  • Pargament, K. I., Murray-Swank, N., Magyar, G. M., & Ano, G. (2005). Spiritual struggle: A phenomenon of interest to psychology and religion. In W. R. Miller & H. Delaney (Eds.), Judeo-Christian perspectives on psychology: Human nature, motivation, and change (pp. 245⎼268). Washington, DC: American Psychology Association.
  • Pargament, K. I., & Sweeney, P. J. (2011). Building spiritual fitness in the army: An innovative approach to a vital aspect of human development. American Psychologist, 66(1), 58–64. doi: 10.1037/a0021657
  • Polkinghorne, D. E. (2005). Language and meaning: Data collection in qualitative research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 137⎼145. doi: 10.1037/0022-0167.52.2.137
  • Polkinghorne, D. E. (1988). Narrative knowing and the human sciences. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
  • Raggatt, P. T. F. (2013). Positioning in the dialogical self: Recent advances in theory construction. In H. J. M. Hermans & T. Gieser (Eds.), Handbook of dialogical self theory (pp. 29⎼45). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Riessman, K. C. (1993). Narrative analysis. London, UK: Sage.
  • Rumbold, B. (2013). Spiritual assessment and health care chaplaincy. Christian Bioethics, 19(3), 251–269. doi: 10.1093/cb/cbt027
  • Sarbin, T. R. (Ed.). (1986). Narrative psychology: The storied nature of human conduct (pp. 3⎼21). Westport, CT: Praeger.
  • Savion, S. M. (2009). How do retired officers start anew in civilian society? A phenomenological study of life transition. Washington, DC: George Washington University.
  • Scherer-Rath, M. (2014). Narrative reconstruction as creative contingency. In R. R. Ganzevoort, M. de Haardt, & M. Scherer-Rath (Eds.), Religious stories we live by: Narrative approaches in theology and religious studies (pp. 131⎼142). Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
  • Slocum-Bradley, N. (2009). The positioning diamond: A trans-disciplinary framework for discourse analysis. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 40(1), 79⎼107.
  • Stemplewska-Żakowicz, K., Zalewski, B., Suszek, H., & Kobylińska, D. (2013). Cognitive architecture of the dialogical self: An experimental approach. In H. J. M. Hermans & T. Gieser (Eds.), Handbook of dialogical self theory (pp. 264⎼283). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Sweeney, P. J., Hannah, S. T., & Snider, D. M. (2007). The domain of the human spirit. In L. J. Matthews (Ed.), Forging the warrior’s character: Moral precepts from the Cadet Prayer (pp. 23–50). Sisters, OR: Jericho.
  • Teasdale, W. (1999). The mystic heart. Novato, CA: New World Library.
  • Tillich, P. (1952). The courage to be. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
  • van den Brand, J., Hermans, C., Scherer-Rath, M., & Verschuren, P. (2014). An instrument for reconstructing interpretation in life stories. In R. R. Ganzevoort, M. de Haardt, & M. Scherer-Rath (Eds.), Religious stories we live by: Narrative approaches in theology and religious studies (pp. 169⎼180). Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
  • Webster, L., & Mertova, P. (2007). Using narrative inquiry as a research method: An introduction to using critical event narrative analysis in research on learning and teaching. London, UK: Routledge Taylor & Francis.
  • Wertsch, M. E. (1991). Military brats: Legacies of childhood inside the fortress. New York, NY: Harmony Books.
  • Yanos, R. C. (2004). Perceptions of transition to civilian life among recently retired Air Force officers. College Park, MD: University of Maryland.