Narratives are extremely important as they act as windows to our soul. In a narrative, a person describes his true the hidden feelings. He takes the listeners or the readers through the emotions and feelings he has been going through with the help of the narrative. Basically, narratives are the picturization of one's thoughts, emotions and experiences. Narratives play great role in the medical field especially for the nurses. It becomes highly important for the nursing professionals to understand the patient in and out in order to portray the true picture of the disease and the patient. Increase in medical tourism across the globe has made it more important for the medical professionals to understand the emotions and feelings of people belonging to different cultural backgrounds. Promotion of medical tourism has brought over huge patient inflow to different parts of the world from other parts of the globe. Improvement in cultural understanding between the patients and the nursing professionals will help in providing better Healthcare and obtaining better outcomes in terms of health across medical facilities in the world.
In this paper, we will discuss the effects of narratives on health communication, the different types of narratives, Sociobiological theory, differences in social class and their impact on healthcare. For the purpose of this study, I have selected the narrative of a patient suffering from ulcerative colitis. In this paper, we will be focusing on how the disease has affected the patient’s life. We will go through the narration of the patient himself regarding the roller coaster ride of emotions that he has been going through since he got to know about the disease he has been suffering from. We will see how the disease has affected his overall perception about himself, the society, and the entire concept of chronic disease. We will also see how the disease has affected the patient’s relationship with his colleagues, friends and dear ones.
(Wilson, 1975)
In the provided narrative, the patient discusses how his life has changed post the disease. He describes how is life was and how it is now after being diagnosed with the disease (Living with a Chronic Disease, 2012). He explains how the life before was completely different, and that now the one he has been living is an entirely new experience. He described whole heartedly, he does not seem to be much affected or worried about his disease. He considers it to be another form of normal because life before the diagnosis was one type of normal, and after the diagnosis another kind of it has become a different type of normal. He explains how a chronic disease changes the perception of normal for a person. He claims that before one is diagnosed with a disease normal is defined as something entirely different and a completely opposite perception develops following the diagnosis of the chronic disease. For him, the course of the disease, symptoms, and the effects become the new normal. The patients learn to live with the disease. In order to explain this further, he has taken the example of how a newborn baby changes the lives of a couple who were earlier enjoying their lives without a child. Before they actually become parents they cannot imagine bringing up a baby but when they actually give birth to their young one they learn “how to be a parent” automatically. The learning becomes inherent. No one has to teach them but they can on their own learn new ways and skills of managing the new situations.
The patient in the narrative video does not seem to be much moved due to the disease condition he has been going through. He has adopted it as a way of life. For him this is his normal life and he have very well accommodated into it. The patient explained how in different situation he has been subjected to embarrassments, however he seems to be relaxed and in complete control of his emotions. He has accepted his chronic disease in a very dignified way. He says that only a person who goes through a similar condition can understand what he is being subjected to on a daily basis. He knows the disease is not curable, but it hardly seems to affect him. He has accepted it as a part and parcel of his daily life. He knows that he has to live with this disease all his life. He cannot do anything about it. Therefore, the best way to comba with the disease is to wholeheartedly embrace it and modify one's life and living style according to it. He has portrayed himself as a picture of a Fighter. He fought very well with the disease condition rather than being submissive to it. Unlike others who would have been very distressed with the condition, this patient is lively and does not cry over the disease. He has been living with this condition since almost 11 years now, but the way he has adjusted himself, it seems like as if this is what he was born with.
(Darwin's Theory, 2016)
The given case is a clear picture of Sociobiological theory. According to the theory of socio-biology, a person adapts himself according to the needs of the society. This theory says that the decisions made by a human being are not always the result of their genetic makeup, but it is shaped up by how a person perceives the situation depending on what he has learnt, seen and adopted in his behaviour (Selin, 1999). In the given case study, the patient had an entirely different life prior to the disease and his life changed dramatically after being diagnosed. But he has adapted to the new life style very easily. We can call it an example of natural selection theory of Darwin as he knew that in order to survive he has to “get selected naturally” (Kenrick, Li, & Butner, 2003). This can be explained in other ways, that he knew the importance of being able to adjust with the new situation, that is, his disease (Wright, 1994). He was aware of the fact that if he cannot adjust himself according to the disease, he may not be able to survive (Sloan Wilson, 1994). The disease could have brought about very adverse mental or emotional effects, but they did not. The patient moulded himself according to the need of the hour and he was able to live a normal and relatively healthy life. The concept of sociobiological theory has a direct link with the idea of evolutionary biology (Tooby & Cosmides, 1989). It is possible for a human being to survive only if he becomes submissive enough to the needs of the environment (Confer et al., 2010). In the light of this very idea, evolved the concept of evolutionary psychology. The idea of psychological changes based on evolution supports the theory depicted in the video of the patient suffering with Ulcerative Colitis. It was the evolutionary abilities of the patient that help him to survive despite the disease condition he was labelled with (Buss, 2009). His capability of taking life the way it comes has empowered the patient and he has been able to combat the illness.
(Evolutionary Psychology, 2016)
His spirit towards life has given him the strength to accept the fact that he has a disease that embarrasses him in public. He proudly agrees to the fact and never hesitates to accept the same. He feels absolutely normal. For him, his symptoms have now become a part of his normal life and he has no inhibitions to accept the same. His courage and honesty have provided him with the enduring capacity to live through the harsh situations that he often faces.
The theory of socio-biology completely justifies the situation of the patient. He has shown tremendous ability to adapt to the new situations. The theory of socio-biology therefore, has been aptly represented by the patient in the video. Humans have the innate tendency to adapt to the natural surroundings. When there are changes in these surrounding, the humans learn to adjust accordingly. Unlike animals, lots of mental and emotional adjustments are needed by the human beings. The one who can survive in the face of hostility actually comes out to be the true winner in every sense.
References
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Confer, J., Easton, J., Fleischman, D., Goetz, C., Lewis, D., Perilloux, C., & Buss, D. (2010). Evolutionary psychology: Controversies, questions, prospects, and limitations. American Psychologist, 65(2), 110-126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0018413
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Living with a Chronic Disease. (2012).
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Sloan Wilson, D. (1994). Adaptive genetic variation and human evolutionary psychology. Ethology And Sociobiology, 15(4), 219-235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0162-3095(94)90015-9
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