Susan M. Cox, “A Life
of their Own: Reflections on Autonomy and Ethics in Research-Based Theater,” in
A. Harpin & A. Foster eds., Performance,
Madness, and Psychiatry (Palgrave, 2014)
People with mental health issues are often stigmatised by the invisibility of their affliction. The stigma is "embedded in beliefs, values and policies but it also shapes the way that health care providers care for those with mental illness." p.65
‘research-based theatre’ - "the use of dramatic form to capture research knowledge and to the analysis of research data using theatrical techniques." p.65-66
"Given the stigma surrounding mental illness, this capacity to generate empathy and encourage personal action is acutely relevant to the delivery of mental health services as well as to research
on experiences of mental illness." p.67
"When applied theatre is successful in opening us differently to experiences of mental illness, we may identify with particular characters and the dilemmas they face, or we may reflect, from a new vantage point, on the implications of our own forms of engagement with mental illness" p.67
Challenges of research-based theatre: "the ethics of fictionalising the real life experiences of research participants and the problems that can arise when participants and/or audiences over-identify with the physical or mental health conditions being performed, perhaps even becoming re-traumatised by a highly convincing theatrical performance." p.69
Situational ethics - how meaning is constructed in a particular instance rather than universal truths or goodness.
"Our epistemology, or theory of how we come to know the world, must therefore also remain open to the recognition that there are many ways of knowing as opposed to one correct approach (such as the scientific approach)." p.70
"When a researcher or artist adopts a stance of epistemological humility, he or she is open not just to the process of discovery of alternative perspectives but also to the possibility of sharing power with participants and being personally transformed through the research." p.70
"Our sense of self and our development as individuals is grounded in our dependence upon and interaction with others. Thus, it is not possible to develop a sense of oneself, any more than we can develop a sense of the other, outside of social relations." p.71
"Contrasting the epistemic versus ontic dimensions of theatre – that is, ways of knowing and theorising versus ways of experiencing and being, or explanatory versus evocative ways of writing – Thompson suggests that we attend to the implications of adopting particular ‘strategies of participation’." p.71
"Recognising that the dramatic representation of illness and/or disability can be a deeply political and ethical matter, we sought guidance from the TS community to ensure that the actors were performing TS appropriately." p.75
"How should madness be articulated and by whom? And how can the validity of ‘mad’ voices be expressed?" p.77
"Close adherence to process and reflexivity in the co-creation and/or interpretation of data informing the theatrical production is also crucial. This includes the commitment to inclusion rather than tidying up the language and local vernacular idioms of informants." p.82
People with mental health issues are often stigmatised by the invisibility of their affliction. The stigma is "embedded in beliefs, values and policies but it also shapes the way that health care providers care for those with mental illness." p.65
‘research-based theatre’ - "the use of dramatic form to capture research knowledge and to the analysis of research data using theatrical techniques." p.65-66
"Given the stigma surrounding mental illness, this capacity to generate empathy and encourage personal action is acutely relevant to the delivery of mental health services as well as to research
on experiences of mental illness." p.67
"When applied theatre is successful in opening us differently to experiences of mental illness, we may identify with particular characters and the dilemmas they face, or we may reflect, from a new vantage point, on the implications of our own forms of engagement with mental illness" p.67
Challenges of research-based theatre: "the ethics of fictionalising the real life experiences of research participants and the problems that can arise when participants and/or audiences over-identify with the physical or mental health conditions being performed, perhaps even becoming re-traumatised by a highly convincing theatrical performance." p.69
Situational ethics - how meaning is constructed in a particular instance rather than universal truths or goodness.
"Our epistemology, or theory of how we come to know the world, must therefore also remain open to the recognition that there are many ways of knowing as opposed to one correct approach (such as the scientific approach)." p.70
"When a researcher or artist adopts a stance of epistemological humility, he or she is open not just to the process of discovery of alternative perspectives but also to the possibility of sharing power with participants and being personally transformed through the research." p.70
"Our sense of self and our development as individuals is grounded in our dependence upon and interaction with others. Thus, it is not possible to develop a sense of oneself, any more than we can develop a sense of the other, outside of social relations." p.71
"Contrasting the epistemic versus ontic dimensions of theatre – that is, ways of knowing and theorising versus ways of experiencing and being, or explanatory versus evocative ways of writing – Thompson suggests that we attend to the implications of adopting particular ‘strategies of participation’." p.71
"Recognising that the dramatic representation of illness and/or disability can be a deeply political and ethical matter, we sought guidance from the TS community to ensure that the actors were performing TS appropriately." p.75
"How should madness be articulated and by whom? And how can the validity of ‘mad’ voices be expressed?" p.77
"Close adherence to process and reflexivity in the co-creation and/or interpretation of data informing the theatrical production is also crucial. This includes the commitment to inclusion rather than tidying up the language and local vernacular idioms of informants." p.82
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