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Learning a new self : ileogastrostomy and perspective transformation

University of British Columbia

Women who are morbidly obese have a well developed set of beliefs about themselves and their place in the world. Their beliefs grow out of and are shared by the society in which they live. Because obesity is viewed negatively, much of such women's interaction with the world is associated with being the victim of stigmatization. Because of this and the well documented medical complications of such a condition, some women will accept surgical assistance, in the form of ileogastrostomy, to correct it. After ileogastrostomy, women must adjust to a radically altered pattern of physical functioning, in the context of social upheaval related to and caused by their loss of weight. Such change is disturbing to the underlying beliefs they hold about themselves and the 'givens' of life. In education, profound and wide-ranging change in the fundamental structures of one's belief systems, that is, in the way that one views the world, is perspective transformation. Perspective transformation is often associated with trauma or 'massive change' situations. This study was undertaken with the assistance of eight women who had undergone ileogastrostomy procedures at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in conjunction with a participant researcher. Following her own ileogastrostomy surgery, the researcher questioned whether her own experience was that of perspective transformation. Co-researchers were interviewed and the resultant narratives analysed across cases to investigate both the women's experience and the learning moments and needs they identified. Holistic perspective transformation was found to be associated with ileogastrostomy in three cases. Partial transformation, or perspective shifting, was found in all cases. Perspective transformation was strongly associated with a proactive stance closely following surgery, as well as a preoperative self-description of similar behavior. All women identified learning strategies and learning moments crucial to effective progress through post-ileogastrostomy adjustment, particularly the need to be networked with others like themselves, the need to be kept informed of developments related to their procedure, and the need to feel supported, over the long term, by health care professionals.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-02-11

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/4442

Education

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace