Reconstructing self-narratives in coping with traumatic brain injury

This study examined qualitative data from ten individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) who felt at ease with their current situations. An analysis based on the grounded theory method revealed that one’s experience of coping or adjustment to the disability was represented as narratives about him or herself. Each one with TBI reconstructed certain self-narratives in coping with their changed self-images and daily lives. The common narratives were classified into five categories: “the self better than others,” “the grown self,” “the recovering self,” “the self living here and now,” and “the protesting self.” These self-narratives reflected renewed ways to view the selves, which were conceptualized to be intact “in spite of TBI” or to be worthwhile “because of TBI.” The informants achieved this conceptualization by managing their perspectives on time or on space. This classification will serve as a framework for rehabilitation practice and for future research.