The narrative blocks which comprise Genesis are prefaced by statements which suggest ways in which the ensuing stories are likely to develop. This thesis sets out to investigate how these "Announcements" influence their respective plots. In Gen. 1: 28 the primaeval history is introduced by a three-fold imperative. The first part, "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth" has some success in exerting its authority but is threatened by several factors. The second, "subdue the earth", is negated. The third, "have dominion over the animals", degenerates into a relationship of mutual hostility. Gen. 12: 1-3 contains two promises and a command. The promises of nationhood and land are threatened throughout the Abraham narrative and by the time of his death Abraham has a single heir and hardly any land. However, by the end of Genesis the ancestral family has grown to seventy people who are multiplying, but outside the land that has been promised to them. The command "be a blessing" makes hardly any impact because neither Abraham nor his descendants seem disposed to obey it. In the Jacob story the Announcement is found in 25: 23 and 27: 27-29, 39-40. Jacob's lordship over Esau is never seen. The promise of fertility/prosperity given to Jacob alone actually comes to both brothers thus negating the intended distinction. The prediction that the two will be divided is "fulfilled" but the expectation of division caused by strife is converted into separation within reconciliation. The two dreams of 37: 5-11 which govern the story of Jacob's family suffer different fates. The first is fulfilled several times but the second has three elements of which the first is fulfilled and the others are not. Unlike many scholars I conclude that Announcements influence their narratives in many different ways and that they are misleading indicators of how plots will develop. The reasons why this may be the case are explored in the Conclusion.

This study focused on the process of frequent geographical relocation during childhood and adolescence. Three adult women contributed to this study providing retrospective accounts of their experiences with frequent relocation within Canada. As a group, relocations occurred between 4 and 10 cities, between 8 and 13 schools, between 2 and 4 provinces, and between Canada and Germany. Based theoretically on narrative theory, supported by a social constructionist epistemology, this study used life history interviews to obtain a deeper understanding of the participants experiences, the meanings they derived from them, and their interpretation of causal links amongst elements surrounding relocation. Through the use of narrative analysis, as proposed by Polkinghorne (1995), individual life stories were created for each of the three women who participated in this study. Their stories highlight the complexity of the process of repeated exits and entries into distinct schools, communities, and peer groups. They illustrate the multiplicity of experiences the participants coped with and the many meanings they derived from their relocation experiences. Furthermore, the stories provide causal explanations to short and long-term changes that occurred in their lives as a result of their experiences.<p>Providing support to other reports in the literature, these women described their experiences of fear, anxiety, anger, pain, sadness, and identity loss. Some positive experiences were excitement about change, enjoyment and appreciation of new possibilities, and hope for the future. The three participants connected many factors together in explaining changes in their lives, including family life, personal factors, historical and financial elements, social and environmental context, as well as factors related to their experiences with relocation. Although many different meanings were created at different times, all participants commented on their loss of not having a childhood friend, and on their perception of the value of stability in their lives. Five different focal points emerged as helpful in the interpretation of the narratives: family support and the experience of self-worth; person-environment fit and the experiences of self and belonging; academic ability, social skills, and school environment, as they relate to school adaptation; timing of geographical mobility; and, adjustment-stability cycles in the context of repeated geographical relocation. Implications for support providers and future research are provided.

This study focused on the process of frequent geographical relocation during childhood and adolescence. Three adult women contributed to this study providing retrospective accounts of their experiences with frequent relocation within Canada. As a group, relocations occurred between 4 and 10 cities, between 8 and 13 schools, between 2 and 4 provinces, and between Canada and Germany. Based theoretically on narrative theory, supported by a social constructionist epistemology, this study used life history interviews to obtain a deeper understanding of the participants experiences, the meanings they derived from them, and their interpretation of causal links amongst elements surrounding relocation. Through the use of narrative analysis, as proposed by Polkinghorne (1995), individual life stories were created for each of the three women who participated in this study. Their stories highlight the complexity of the process of repeated exits and entries into distinct schools, communities, and peer groups. They illustrate the multiplicity of experiences the participants coped with and the many meanings they derived from their relocation experiences. Furthermore, the stories provide causal explanations to short and long-term changes that occurred in their lives as a result of their experiences.<p>Providing support to other reports in the literature, these women described their experiences of fear, anxiety, anger, pain, sadness, and identity loss. Some positive experiences were excitement about change, enjoyment and appreciation of new possibilities, and hope for the future. The three participants connected many factors together in explaining changes in their lives, including family life, personal factors, historical and financial elements, social and environmental context, as well as factors related to their experiences with relocation. Although many different meanings were created at different times, all participants commented on their loss of not having a childhood friend, and on their perception of the value of stability in their lives. Five different focal points emerged as helpful in the interpretation of the narratives: family support and the experience of self-worth; person-environment fit and the experiences of self and belonging; academic ability, social skills, and school environment, as they relate to school adaptation; timing of geographical mobility; and, adjustment-stability cycles in the context of repeated geographical relocation. Implications for support providers and future research are provided.

6 The result of my thesis is the finding that narrative analysis is an approach that allows understanding biblical text in a bigger scope. The better comprehension is particularly given by understanding of the deep narrative structures. This works also for the exegesis where the narrative-analytical frame serves as a sieve that separates statements burdened by theology. However these statements can be seen as the door through which we can enter the story and determine its fundamental message. On the other hand, narrative approach cannot be considered as an all-embracing approach for understanding the Old Testament text, because it does not help us neither to discover what exactly led the author to create the Absalom's cycle, nor to define what demands he places on the readers.

There are two studies in this dissertation. Both are about couples in a stepfamily who attended stepfamily education called, Smart Steps: Embrace the Journey. The first study explored how 13 Latino stepcouples felt the concepts they learned in stepfamily education influenced their couple relationship, parenting, and their family. Participants ranged in age from 25 to 43. They were interviewed two years after participating in the course. They talked about positive changes that happened in their couple relationship, parenting relationship, and their family as a result of participating in stepfamily education. It was also found that the course helped them to improve their stepparent/stepchild relationship. The second study examined how one Latino stepcouples’ journey unfolded after participation, and the subsequent experiences that occurred when their stepchildren moved in with them. They were interviewed right after the course was completed, one year later, and two years later. Their story is told from when the couple met, having two biological children, and then moving five stepchildren into their home. They explained how the concepts they learned helped their stepfamily. Future studies on Latino stepfamilies and the strengths and weaknesses of these studies are discussed.

The years from the late teens through the twenties increasingly have become an important area of study. The age range between 18 and 25 makes up a new, distinct developmental period that is referred to as “emerging adulthood.” Recent work has suggested that individuals engage in their most extensive identity exploration during emerging adulthood. This study uses autoethnography and narrative biographical material to study emerging adulthood in the contexts of spiritual and personal growth. The study explored adult development among young women serving abroad as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The sample consisted of five women, including myself, all of whom shared similar background characteristics and served in the same mission. Interviews were conducted in which participants gave a unique description of their LDS mission experiences while responding to open-ended questions. Data analysis was done by gathering participants’ stories and then “restory (ing)” them into a framework that made sense. Stories presented here were based on the primary themes identified in participant interviews and my own experiences. These themes included: it was the right decision to serve a mission, development happened through experiencing adversity and through positive experiences, the mission lifestyle either helped or deterred participants’ growth and development, and the participants are who they are today because of this experience. Future longitudinal research could focus on how a mission has affected women’s lives throughout adulthood, or on the relationship between exposure to other cultures and individual psychosocial development.

Abstract To experientially understand the concept and phenomenon of well-being at work is a worthy and topical goal for both humanity and society. The main goal of this study is to add to the knowledge and understanding of well-being at work as an individually experienced and accounted phenomenon. This evaluation study which uses narrative approach seeks answers to questions 1) What is well-being at work in the narrations of the participants, aged 55 years and over, of this study, and 2) What are the Well-being profile processes qualities that enhance well-being at work. Well-being profile refers to the significance of a holistic activity plan for an individual’s well-being at work, which is evaluated in the thesis work. Data in this study was gathered in individual processes (n = 12) in 2004–2006 and the research methods used were diaries kept by the participants, and two interviews. For studying well-being in this thesis work, the researcher wanted to develop a new methodological and methodical narrative approach. Ontological and epistemological choices have been guided by the dialogic nature of the process and giving voice to the participants. Narrative method includes both interpretation of stories with thematic content analysis and interpretation of told stories. Results are presented as well-being and core stories on micro level, and as meta level research results on macro level. In the core stories it is demonstrated how storyline and time-related individual meanings are construed by narrative analysis. With thematic contents analysis of interpretations on meta level of research results well-being at work appeared in this study as individual, holistically experienced state of well-being. Continuously fluctuating bodily, situational and mental elements form the state of well-being at work. In this study, combined factors that form the phenomenon of well-being at work are commitment to work, holistic well-being, responsibility of oneself, dialogical communality, experienced challenge in work, personal and appreciative leadership, feelings of joy and success at work, feeling of doing a worthy job, customer service skills and fitting of personal needs into work description. Well-being profile process has given understanding, knowledge and peer support to that well-being at work is a broad-based story. It enables understanding how a person can contribute to it and well-being of work community can be enhanced. Well-being profile process shared meanings were described as functionality, expertness, wholeness, peer support in groups and support in change situations. To develop and appreciate the phenomenon of well-being at work, it is essential to hear and understand stories of people. From the view point of enhancing well-being at work, it is essential to perceive its’ individual and holistic character. Methodologically this study provides new kind of knowledge into the field of well-being at work research. / Tiivistelmä Työhyvinvoinnin ilmiön ja käsitteen kokemuksellinen ymmärtäminen on sekä yhteiskunnallisesti että inhimillisesti merkittävä ja ajankohtainen päämäärä. Tämän tutkimuksen päätavoitteena on ymmärryksen ja tiedon kasvattaminen työhyvinvoinnista yksilöllisesti koettuna ja kerrottuna ilmiönä. Lähestymistavaltaan narratiivisella arviointitutkimuksella haetaan vastauksia seuraaviin kysymyksiin: 1) Mitä työhyvinvointi ilmiönä on tähän tutkimukseen osallistuvien yli 55-vuotiaiden ihmisten kertomana ja 2) Mitkä ovat Hyvinvointiprofiili-prosessin työhyvinvointia edistävät merkitykset. Hyvinvointiprofiili-prosessilla tarkoitetaan väitöskirjassa arvioidun hyvinvointia edistävän kokonaisvaltaisen toimintamuodon merkitystä yksilön työhyvinvoinnille. Tutkimuksen aineisto on kerätty yksilöllisinä prosesseina (N = 12) vuosina 2004–2006 ja tiedonhankinnan tapoina ovat tutkimukseen osallistuvien ihmisten pitämät päiväkirjat sekä kaksi aktiivihaastattelua. Tässä tutkimuksessa työhyvinvoinnin tutkimiseen haluttiin kehittää uudenlainen metodologinen ja metodinen narratiivinen lähestymistapa. Ontologisia ja epistemologisia ratkaisuja ovat ohjanneet prosessimaisuus, dialogisuus ja äänen antaminen tutkimukseen osallistuville ihmisille. Narratiivinen metodi sisältää sekä kertomusten tulkintaa temaattisella sisältöjen luvulla että kertomuksellista tulkintaa. Tutkimustulokset tuodaan esille mikrotasolla työhyvinvointi- ja ydintarinoina sekä makrotasolla metatason tutkimustuloksina. Ydintarinoissa osoitetaan kertomuksellisen tulkinnan kautta rakentuvan juonen ja ajallisuuden henkilökohtaisten merkitysten rakentuminen. Kertomusten tulkinnan temaattisella sisältöjen luvulla metatason tutkimustuloksissa työhyvinvointi ilmiönä hahmottui tässä tutkimuksessa yksilöllisenä, kokonaisvaltaisesti koettuna hyvinvoinnin tilana. Työhyvinvoinnin tilan muodostavat jatkuvasti liikkeessä olevat tajunnalliset, situationaaliset ja keholliset tekijät. Tässä tutkimuksessa yhteiset kerrotut työhyvinvoinnin ilmiön muodostavat tekijät ovat seuraavat: työsitoutuneisuus, kokonaiselämän hyvinvointi, vastuullisuus itsestä, dialoginen yhteisöllisyys, koettu työn haasteellisuus, yksilöllinen ja arvostava esimiestyö, ilon ja onnistumisen kokemukset työssä, tunne arvostettavan työn tekemisestä, osaaminen asiakastyössä ja yksilöllisten tarpeiden huomiointi työnkuvassa. Hyvinvointiprofiili-prosessi on antanut ymmärrystä, tietoa ja vertaistukea siihen, että ihmisen työhyvinvointi on laaja-alainen tarina. Sen mukaan on mahdollista hahmottaa se, kuinka monin tavoin siihen voi sekä itse vaikuttaa että edistää työyhteisön työhyvinvointia. Hyvinvointiprofiili-prosessin yhteiset merkitykset työhyvinvoinnille kerrottiin tässä tutkimuksessa toiminnallisuudeksi, asiantuntijuudeksi, kokonaisvaltaisuudeksi, ryhmien vertaistueksi ja tueksi muutostilanteissa. Ihmisten kertomusten kuunteleminen ja ymmärtäminen on työhyvinvoinnin ilmiön ymmärtämisessä ja kehittämisessä tärkeää. Työhyvinvoinnin edistämisen kannalta on keskeistä havaita työhyvinvoinnin yksilöllisyys ja kokonaisvaltaisuus. Menetelmällisesti tämä tutkimus tuottaa uudenlaista tietoa työhyvinvoinnin tutkimisen kenttään.

Abstract The doctoral thesis deals with such Christian sense of community in which a believer participates in the services or other activities of several Christian communities, con¬ceives the community of Christians as something larger than the institutionalized church or religious community, or argues matters within the domain of religion with statemenst that belong to non-religious discourse. I will use the term Inter-Christianity of these activities. The primary survey area is Finland. However, I will contextualize the observations concerning Finland against changes in Christianity especially in Germany, the United States of America and also by a few examples, elsewhere in the world. In this manner, I will put the observations concerning Finland in proportion with the supranational nature of Christianity. I will review the change in the sense of community and identification of Christianity with the help of theories involving postmodernism, narrative research and symbolic anthropology. Twenty-three informants took part in the research. The research materials consists of 24 interviews, 14 discussions, 51 feedback discussions, 47 field work events and 49 written descriptions, Internet discussions and television programs involved with the topic. As the study is a mix of reflexive, interpretative and empirical methods, it is postmodern religious anthropology. Due to influence of ecumenical discussion, joint Christian gatherings and ecumenical services have increased in all countries reviewed. The increase of joint activities of different churches and the spread of awakening evangelical Christianity together with the postmodern culture that empahizes individuality have confirmed the perception of people involved in the Inter-Christianity on the justification of participation in multiple communities and the home gathering activities that oppose the institutionalized power of churches. Postevangelical movements and reform groups are common in Germany and the United States of America. Instead, home gathering activities and individual crossing of boundaries are common in Finland. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimus käsittelee sellaista kristillisen yhteisöllisyyden tapaa, jossa uskova osallistuu monien uskonyhteisöjen jumalanpalveluksiin tai muuhun toimintaan, käsittää kristittyjen yhteisön institutionaalista kirkkoa tai uskonyhteisöä laajemmaksi kokonaisuudeksi tai perustelee uskoon liittyviä asioita muuhun kuin uskonnolliseen diskurssiin kuuluvilla lausumilla. Nimitän tällaista toimintaa poikkikristillisyydeksi. Ensisijainen tarkastelukohteeni on Suomi, mutta kontekstualisoin Suomea koskevia havaintoja kristillisyyden muutoksiin Saksassa ja Yhdysvalloissa sekä muutaman esimerkin avulla muualla maailmassa. Suhteutan näin Suomea koskevat havainnot kristillisyyden ylikansalliseen luonteeseen. Tarkastelen kristillisen yhteisöllisyyden ja identifioitumisen muutosta postmodernia käsittelevien teorioiden, narratiivitutkimuksen ja symbolisen antropologian avulla. Tutkimukseen osallistui 23 informanttia. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu 24 haastattelusta, 14 keskustelusta, 51 palautekeskustelusta, 47 kenttätyötapahtumasta ja 49 aihetta käsitelleestä kirjallisesta kuvauksesta, Internet-keskustelusta ja televisio-ohjelmasta. Refleksiivistä, tulkinnallista ja kokemuksellista menetelmää sekoittavana tutkimus on postmodernia uskontotutkimusta. Ekumeenisen keskustelun vaikutuksesta yhteiskristilliset kokoontumiset ja ekumeeniset jumalanpalvelukset ovat lisääntyneet kaikissa tarkastelumaissa. Kirkkokuntien yhteisen toiminnan lisääntyminen ja evankelikaalisen herätyskristillisyyden leviäminen yhdessä yksilöä korostavan postmodernin kulttuurin kanssa ovat vahvistaneet poikkikristillisesti toimivien käsitystä kirkkojen institutionaalista valtaa vastustavan kotikokoustoiminnan ja monissa yhteisöissä käymisen oikeutuksesta. Postevankelikaaliset liikkeet ja reformiryhmät ovat yleisiä Saksassa ja Yhdysvalloissa, kun taas kotikokoustoiminta ja yksilöllinen rajanylitys ovat yleisiä Suomessa.

<p>Denna uppsats är en narrativ studie om hiphopkulturen som ungdomskultur. Målet med undersökningen har varit att förstå hur hiphoparna blir en del av den egna kulturen och hur de ser sig själva som medlemmar av hiphopkulturen. Som insamlingsmetod har jag använt mig av tre fokusgrupper samt en enskild intervju. Informanterna har varit 20-26 år och kommer från två mellanstora städer i Sverige.</p><p>Det resultat som framkommit är att hiphoparen gör en slags karriär inom kulturen. För att kunna göra denna karriär är hiphoparen beroende av mer erfarna personer. Det finns även ett beroende av det övriga samhället för att kunna lyckas. Tankarna kring den egna kulturen kan sammanfattas i fyra olika huvudteman: Genus, Attribut, Äkthet och Battle.</p> / <p>This is a narrative study of the hiphop culture as a youth culture. The aim has been to understand how and why young people in middle-sized Swedish towns become hiphopers and also how they look at themselves as members of the hiphop culture.</p><p>The research methods applied are three focus group interviews and one single person interview. The participants are between 20 and 26 years. The hiphoper makes a kind of a career in the culture. To be able to make the career, the hiphoper is dependent of other people with better skills as well as of the society. The thoughts of the hiphopers in question can be summarized in four main themes: gender, attribute, genuine and battle.</p>

<p>Denna narrativa studie handlar om tre lärares berättelse om hur de ser på barns roll och förmåga i lärandet efter att ha genomgått kompetensutveckling ”Läsa – språka – skriva”.</p><p>Resultatet påvisar att det finns ett samband mellan deras synsätt och kompetensutvecklingen som har föranlett förändringar av arbetsformen och arbetssättet av lärarnas undervisning i läs- och skrivprocessen.</p> / <p>This narrative study illustrates three primary school teachers’ experiences of children’s abilities to learn and their role in learning. The teachers where interviewed after attending the course “Läsa – språka – skriva” (”Reading – Conversing – Writing”). The result shows a relation between their experiences and the course, which has caused them to change their literacy teaching methods.</p>