Who am I know? The reification of self in a nursing home

Abstract

Threats to the self and its constituent reifications are examined in the context of the phenomenology of Alfred Schultz. It is argued that self-restications serve to limit the world openness of the human condition and that nursing home placement threatens these reifications and therefore the ability of residents to "think as usual." Thirty-eight case studies from nursing homes in both Kansas and Oregon are examined and are used to illustrate how reminiscence serves as a means to re-reify the self in a manner in which taken-forgrantedness can be regained.