ABSTRACT
Narrative therapy is an important tool in the phenomenological framing of life events with older clients. Seventy-nine older adults who lived independently in four subsidized high-rise housing facilities in Chicago were interviewed in a research project about managing life challenges. Cases represent four types in a spiritual-religious typology: religious and spiritual, religious only, spiritual only, and neither religious nor spiritual (Zinnbauer, 1997). This article explores how older adults managed adversity and maintained a sense of self-efficacy. Findings indicate that older adults use many references to religion and spirituality in their narratives, either embracing these domains or defining themselves in contrast to them. Narrative therapy suggests that the implications of religious and spiritual re-
[Haworth co-indexing entry note]: “Spiritual, Religious, Nonspiritual, and Nonreligious Narratives in Marginalized Older Adults: A Typology of Coping Styles.” Nelson-Becker, Holly B. Co-published simultaneously in Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging (The Haworth Pastoral Press, an imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc.) Vol. 17, No. 1/2, 2004, pp. 21-38; and: Spiritual Assessment and Intervention with Older Adults: Current Directions and Applications (ed: Mark Brennan, and Deborah Heiser) The Haworth Pastoral Press, an imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc., 2004, pp. 21-38. Single or multiple copies of this article are available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service [1-800-HAWORTH, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (EST). E-mail address: docdelivery@haworthpress.com].
22sources addressed in client stories may reinforce coping capacity and promote aging well. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <docdelivery@haworthpress.com> Website: <https://www.HaworthPress.com> © 2004 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]
