This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ramirez-Valles, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ramirez-Valles, J. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Changing Women: The Narrative Construction of Personal Change through Community Health Work among Women in Mexico

Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois–Chicago School of Public Healthvalles{at}uic.edu

A major premise of health education is that people can and do change their lives. Personal changes and the events that precipitate them are often told in a form of narrative and are accompanied by a new sense of oneself. This research draws on the study of narratives and women’s community activism to explore processes of personal change in women’s activism as community health workers in Mexico. The research is a case study based on in-depth semistructured interviews. Two major categories of narratives of change emerged: change of the self and little or no change. Within these categories, changes are defined as development of the self, becoming a new and different person, actualization of the self, and little or no change. Although women experience significant changes, their changes are based on normative female identities. Implications for the study of narratives and personal change in health education are discussed.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. K. H. Messias, M. K. De Jong, and K. McLoughlin Being Involved and Making a Difference: Empowerment and Well-Being Among Women Living in Poverty J Holist Nurs, March 1, 2005; 23(1): 70 - 88. [Abstract] [PDF]