Four aspects of self-image close to death at home

摘要

Living close to death means an inevitable confrontation with one’s own existential limitation. In this article, we argue thatneveryday life close to death embodies an identity work in progress. We used a narrative approach and a holistic-contentnreading to analyze 12 interviews conducted with three persons close to death. By illuminating the unique stories andnidentifying patterns among the participants’ narratives, we found four themes exemplifying important aspects of the identitynwork related to everyday life close to death. Two of the themes, named ‘‘Inside and outside of me’’ and ‘‘Searching forntogetherness,’’ represented the core of the self-image and were framed by the other themes, ‘‘My place in space’’ and ‘‘Myndeath and my time.’’ Our findings elucidate the way the individual stories moved between the past, the present, and thenfuture. This study challenges the idea that everyday life close to impending death primarily means limitations. The findingsnshow that the search for meaning, new knowledge, and community can form a part of a conscious and ongoing identity worknclose to death.