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Getting To Know You THE BENEFITS OF ORAL HISTORIES Contributions and proud moments can be revealed when reviewing the past. BARBARA A. KEDDY Of late, health care workers have found that oral histories can help them better understand the process of aging, while gerontologists have found them useful for teaching, re- search, and/or clinical praetice(l). The data, collected directly from an individual, often provide new theo- retical explanations about intimate life experiences from either some seg- ment of an individual's life, such as chronological age, health patterns, and work history. Reminiscence and oral and life histories are concepts that are fre- quently used interchangeably but re- fer to different techniques. Reminis- cence or "the process or practice of thinking or telling about past experi- ences"(Webster's 9th, 2b) relates to what Eric Erikson called "generativi- ty"(2). Erikson described the later stage of human development as an interest on the part of an individual in establishing and guiding the next generation. It was the gerontologist Butler who operationalized Erikson's theory(3). He maintained that the process of reminiscing can help resolve past conflicts or, conversely, aid in reliv- ing happy experiences. This behavior is commonly observed among older persons who are often accused ofliv- Barbara A. Keddy, RN, PhD, is an associate professor at Dalhousie University School of Nursing, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 170 Geriatric Nursing May/June 1988 We can relive a t ime over 50 years ago when nurses marched for women's rights . ing in the past or of being senile. Webster's 9th (I a) gives this defini- tion of life history. "A history of the changes through which an organism passes in its development from the primary stage to its natural death." It can be used as a research tool to un- cover clues regarding successful ag- ing and life satisfaction. An in-depth probing by research- ers into elder's lives often generates a deeper understanding of those inter- viewed and the social conditions that helped shape their lives. Such in- sights are often lost when the data are quantitative and involve large num- bers of respondents. At the University ofMichigan, this approach has been used with repeat- ed success. The researchers are often senior citizens who volunteer as peer counselors(4). After their interviews, they frequently remark on how sat- isfying it can be to look back on one's life. Oral history is defined as "histori- cal information that isobtained in in- terviews with persons who have led significant lives...." (Webster's 9th). Allen and Montell describe oral histories as a "method by which oral information about the past is col- lected and recorded, and it can also mean a body of knowledge that exists only in people's memories and will be lost at their deaths"(5). Storytelling outside of a clinical milieu can be a mechanism whereby valuable information from one gen- eration to another is preserved. This type of generativity gives an older person a sense of extension of self that can be shared by others. Unfortunately, the oral history technique has generally been used with elites who are predominantly male. However, this is gradually changing . Oral historians have begun to exhibit interest in prominent women and people in all walks of life(6). As a class project four years ago, I assigned 20 students in my fourth- year research methods class to collect 35 oral histories from older nurses who were living in Nova Scotia. I conducted the first 15interviews and students helped me analyze the tran- scribed narratives. Each student was then encouraged to locate a nurse who was studying or working as a nurse in the 1920s and 1930s and conduct an extensive in- terview. These 35 tapes are now pre- served in the Nova Scotia Archives. The main disadvantage to this ex- ercise is that the interviewers often did not probe as carefully as I would

Getting to know you: The benefits of oral histories

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GettingToKnowYouTHE BENEFITS OFORAL HISTORIES

Contributions and proudmoments can be revealedwhen reviewing the past.

BARBARA A. KEDDY

Of late, health care workers havefound that oral histories can helpthem better understand the processof aging, while gerontologists havefound them useful for teaching, re­search, and/or clinical praetice(l).The data, collected directly from anindividual, often provide new theo­retical explanations about intimatelife experiences from either some seg­ment of an individual's life, such aschronological age, health patterns,and work history.

Reminiscence and oral and lifehistories are concepts that are fre­quently used interchangeably but re­fer to different techniques. Reminis­cence or "the process or practice ofthinking or telling about past experi­ences"(Webster's 9th, 2b) relates towhat Eric Erikson called "generativi­ty"(2). Erikson described the laterstage of human development as aninterest on the part of an individualin establishing and guiding the nextgeneration.

Itwas the gerontologist Butler whooperationalized Erikson's theory(3).He maintained that the process ofreminiscing can help resolve pastconflicts or, conversely, aid in reliv­ing happy experiences. This behavioris commonly observed among olderpersons who are often accused ofliv-

Barbara A. Keddy, RN, PhD, is an associateprofessor at Dalhousie University School ofNursing, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

170 Geriatric Nursing May/June 1988

We can relive a t ime over 50 years agowhen nurses marched for women's rights .

ing in the past or ofbeing senile.Webster's 9th (Ia) gives this defini­

tion of life history. "A history of thechanges through which an organismpasses in its development from theprimary stage to its natural death." Itcan be used as a research tool to un­cover clues regarding successful ag­ing and life satisfaction.

An in-depth probing by research­ers into elder's lives often generates adeeper understanding of those inter­viewed and the social conditions thathelped shape their lives. Such in­sights are often lost when the data arequantitative and involve large num­bers ofrespondents.

At the University ofMichigan, thisapproach has been used with repeat­ed success. The researchers are oftensenior citizens who volunteer as peercounselors(4). After their interviews,they frequently remark on how sat-

isfying it can be to look back on one'slife.

Oral history is defined as "histori­cal information that is obtained in in­terviews with persons who have ledsignificant lives...." (Webster's9th). Allen and Montell describe oralhistories as a "method by which oralinformation about the past is col­lected and recorded, and it can alsomean a body of knowledge that existsonly in people's memories and willbe lost at their deaths"(5).

Storytelling outside of a clinicalmilieu can be a mechanism wherebyvaluable information from one gen­eration to another is preserved. Thistype of generativity gives an olderperson a sense of extension of selfthat can be shared by others.

Unfortunately, the oral historytechnique has generally been usedwith elites who are predominantlymale. However, this is graduallychanging . Oral historians have begunto exhibit interest in prominentwomen and people in all walks oflife(6).

As a class project four years ago, Iassigned 20 students in my fourth­year research methods class to collect35 oral histories from older nurseswho were living in Nova Scotia. Iconducted the first 15 interviews andstudents helped me analyze the tran­scribed narratives.

Each student was then encouragedto locate a nurse who was studying orworking as a nurse in the 1920s and1930s and conduct an extensive in­terview. These 35 tapes are now pre­served in the Nova Scotia Archives.

The main disadvantage to this ex­ercise is that the interviewers oftendid not probe as carefully as I would

'What~o

'16uSee?

CJ feel you look ing at meand inmst fleeting moment

when time catches my attentionI wonder, what do you see ?

This body; once filled with vitality,now an aged and broken thing

forced into submission by an unfairand unexpected reality,

Do you ever sense, from what of me remains,the strength and vibrant temperament

this passive being once contained?Or that deep inside reflections often playa kaleidoscope of faces, and happenings,

and emotions before my eyesas a matinee.

Speeded up and sequence gone ,but there the same

and much, much more the pityfor I can 't grasp just what is wrong .

My world has changed along the wayand once where I took an active partwin or lose, I faced each challenge,but took for granted each new day.

I now uncomprehendinglyjust sit and watch my "matinee"

and, when occasionally time gets throughto interrup t my reverie ,

I may lash out at those of youwho take the time to call meback to reality and make me

face that which is true.And still I wonder what you see. .

Does your vision penetratesenility to glimpse this soul

trapped in memory?And, more impo rtant if you do . . . •

does you r vision penetrateyour own indifference to glimpse what

fate might have in store for you ?

Johnnye Rotchford '

' At the time this was written, Johnnye Rotchfordwas a medica l reco rd technic ian at HammondHouse Co nva lescent Home , Worchester , MA.

have preferred, However, the tapesare a rich source of data not onlyabout the history of the nursing pro­fession, but about the lives of work­ing women in the 1920s and 1930s. Italso is interesting to see how theyview their lives now that they havereached this later stage in human de­velopment. Lofland discusses thisapproach in the following way:

A goal of intensive or "qualita­tive" interviewing is to constructrecords of action-in-process from

a variety ofpeople who have likelyperformed these actions time andtime again. Key features of such"conversations" are their lengthand diversity. Unhurried, free­flowing talk encourages the emer­genceofa wide range on many lev­els of topics, prompting intimatefamiliarity(7).

With over 70 hours of taping avail­able, this project became as reward­ingfor the researchers as it wasfor therespondents. One respondent whoclaimed her nursing days were ar­duous stated the following:

I was taught that a nurse should beable to go do everything in everydepartment ofthe hospital and fillin, whether it's in the kitchen oreven the furnace room. Oneshould know the workings of thelab, x-ray, pharmacy, laundry, thewhole business(8).

Despite the difficulties, most feltthat they had made a contributionand often spoke with pride abouttheir versatility. This same re­spondent had told me before the in­terview that she would not be appro­priate to interview because her lifehad been so ordinary. As I was leav­ing her home, she asked me to comeback in-she had remembered yetanother fascinating story. She said,"I didn't realize until this interviewthat I had so much to pass on toyounger people. We old folks havelots ofstories in us."

Some stories made us laugh, othersmade us cry. One respondent re­flected, "Our superintendent saidone day ... any nurses that can'tkeep a bed pan clean, can't keep adinner plate c1ean"(9).

Another recalled nursing in CapeBreton after a mine disaster. Thememories were painful as she de­scribed her sense of hopelessnesswith the victims who would not re­cover.

These women had never beforethought of their lives as interesting.During their work careers they oftenfeIthumiliated by the physicians. Re­sentment was the actual term onenurse used to describe nurses' feel­ings toward doctors. "We [nurses]felt inferior at the time"(lO). But in

spite of the difficulties they wereproud of their own achievements, asmost people are when looking back.

Oral histories can be used to showthat elders are interestingpeople withfascinating stories to tell. They canalso provide firsthand data about thehistory of professions, societies, andcultures, allowing researchers to be­come part of the past in an intimatefashion.

And last but not least, older peoplegain a sense of pride and accomplish­ment when they tell their "stories"and know that they can live on bypassing their experiences and knowl­edge to future generations. This is in­deed the generativity that Ericksondescribed.

Admittedly, it takes time to be­come proficient in interviewing froman in-depth perspective. Analysis ofthe data is also difficultand time con­suming, but it can lead to a greaterunderstanding of people, their cul­ture, their health histories, and theirneeds. Leininger believes that themethod of obtaining oral historiesfrom people "is one of the richest un­tapped sources for knowing peopleand their health and caring patterns,a method that still limitedly is knownand used in nursing and the healthfields today"( I).

ReferencesI. Leininger, Madeleine. Life health-care history :

purposes. methods. and techniques. I" Qual ita­tivc Research Methods in Nursing, ed. by Made­leine leininger. New York, Grone & Stratton.1985. pp: 119-132 .

2. Erikson , E. H. Childhood and Society. New York.W. W Nonon & Co., 1950.

3. Butler, R. N. The life review: an intrepretation ofreminiscence in the aged. Psychiatry 26:65-76 ,Feb. 1963.

4. Telling Life's Story . Res.News(Univ.Mich.) I~II :2- 6, Oct.-Nov. 1983.

5. Allen, B., and Montell , W. From Memory to His­tory: Using Oral Sour ces in Local Historical Re ­search . Nashville, TN, American Association forState and Local History , 1981, p, 23.

6. Myerhoff, B. G., and Sirnic, Andrei, eds. Life'sCareer. Aging: Cultural Variations on GrowingOld. Beverly Hills, Sage PUblications . 1978.

7. Lofland, John. DoingSocial Life: The Qualuat iveStudy 0/Human lntera ction in Natural Setting:New York, John Wiley & Sons , 1979, pp. 8-9.

8. Keddy, B., and others.The nurse as mothersurro­gale: oral histories ofNova SCotianurses from the1920's and 1930's . Health Care Women Int.5(4):181-193,1984.

9. Keddy , B.,and lukan, E. The nursingapprentice:an historical perspect ive. Nuts.Pap . 17:35-47,Spring 1985.

10. Keddy, B., and others . The doctor-nurse rela­tionship: an historical perspect ive. J .Adv.Nurs.11:745-753, Nov . 1986.

GeriatricNursing May/June 1988171