|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
|
Opening Doors: Poetic Representation of the Sport Experiences of Men With Severe Mental Health Difficulties
David Carless1*
and
Kitrina Douglas2
1 Leeds Metropolitan University
2 University of Bristol
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: d.carless{at}leedsmet.ac.uk.
 |
Abstract |
|---|
We present here a series of poetic representations that stem from our research into the sport and exercise experiences of men with severe mental health difficulties. Relying exclusively on scientific or realist tales risks omitting or misrepresenting participants’ sometimes "messy" stories. By allowing space for these stories, which may not be considered "good stories" in terms of traditional narrative criteria of content, form, coherence, or plot, poetic approaches can contribute to a richer and more complex understanding of others’ lives. The first poem was written in response to our experiences of doing qualitative research in the context of a rehabilitation day center for people with severe mental health difficulties. We created the subsequent poems, using only the participants’ own words, as a way to further explore and represent their experiences of, and responses to, a golf activity group that was offered within the context the day center.
First published on February 24, 2009, doi:10.1177/1077800409332081
Qualitative Inquiry 2009;15:1547.
A more recent version of this article appeared on December 1, 2009
 CiteULike  Complore  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter What's this?
|
|
