From Theory to Practice when Presenting Core Features of a Swedish Hospital Chaplaincy Identity
A Case Study Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.20372Keywords:
Identity, Chaplain, Deacon, Hospital, Spiritual careAbstract
Research on healthcare chaplaincy-identity over the years has to a large extent, been both theory-driven and less pronounced in the field of chaplaincy. While this research has contributed important insights, it has also called for empirical/qualitative research, which can add to the growing need for research that complements and nuances theoretical frameworks and suggestions. This article presents an in-depth narrative identity analysis of a hospital chaplain who has served two decades within the healthcare context. The rationale for this case was to specifically explore how a full-time position as a hospital chaplain, coupled with extensive experience within a secularized context organized around medical expertise and other important social and spiritual factors, forged a specific chaplain character, which consisted of six overarching core features or identity markers. The findings from this case study broadens existing knowledge, while also confirming existing theoretical positions. Future research is warranted, in order to display potential additional core features of hospital chaplains, explore contextual identity markers associated to other contexts, and to employ these core features in top-down research or as deductive categories in qualitative research.
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