Two professors at St. Thomas University are receiving international recognition for their work on an unusual concept in the field of gerontology.
Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon and Dr. William Randall, along with colleagues Ernst Bohlmeijer and Gerben Westerhof of the Netherlands, have been given the 2009 Theoretical Developments in Social Gerontology Award by the Gerontological Society of America.
The team have been working on the concept of "narrative foreclosure." This is something Randall describes as a phenomenon in people of all ages.
“It’s the premature conviction that one’s life has effectively ended, that no new chapters are likely to open up,” said Randall. “In a state of narrative foreclosure, your life continues on and you continue going through the motions. But in your mind, heart and imagination, it’s pretty much over.”
Randall said it is often something people experience later in life, but not always. He said the idea of narrative foreclosure could be used as a way to understand the experience of those suffering from depression. In fact, their Dutch colleagues – Ernst Bohlmeijer and Gerben Westerhof – are currently designing a screening tool that could help in assessing a person’s level of narrative foreclosure vs. narrative openness and help determine what mode of intervention might best be appropriate – e.g., reminiscence, life review, psychotherapy, etc.
Irwin-Kenyon said their unique approach to gerontology – namely, narrative gerontology - has been aided by being at a liberal arts school.
“It brings worldwide recognition in our field to St. Thomas. As a small university, we don’t have big labs or experimental studies going on, but in this particular area, it gives us international recognition for what we’re doing at St. Thomas,” said Kenyon.
The research was done in part with the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Narrative at St. Thomas University.
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