Applying of Critical Autoethnography to Aesthetic of Self-Care by People with Epilepsy

Abstract

This research article aims to disclose the process of knowledge construction from the experiences of people with epilepsy through self-observation and reflection, leading to the redefinition of the identities of the participants in this research. The emphasis on self-reflection is a core interest of autoethnography. The researcher shared her view critically with other participants in this sub-culture to create a better understanding among the public of their lives and how they negotiate local health culture. Another objective is to present an example of how critical autoethnography as a social research methodology can be applicable for research in the field of nursing. To elaborate, part of a doctoral dissertation entitled ‘Aesthetic Knowledge Construction by People with Epilepsy’, was selected to demonstrate this application in order to offer new ideas and to indicate the potential of autoethnography in nursing research, and to provide other ways to genuinely understand patients and the experiences of family members. The results revealed that the desires of people with epilepsy, and their various pathways through dialectical self-reflection on self-reliance in the health culture context and the Thai social context. Their desires were as follows: (1) to control their seizures; (2) to perform the independent activities of daily living; (3) to earn income for themselves and their families; (4) to be able to take care of their family members; and (5) to live happily and with dignity with epilepsy in the eyes of the public. Therefore, the meaning of the aesthetics in caring for themselves differed depending upon their own conditions, self-reflection, and the context of their desires and their livelihood.