This is Dr. Cleveland's PhD thesis,
which was inspired by her own traumatic brain injury and her
personal struggle to live a happy, productive life.
Every year millions of traumatic brain
injuries (TBI) caused by any type of sudden external force upon the
head occur in the United States, accompanied by a range of complex
physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional problems. The period
of time between injury and re-adaptation to social roles is
generally labeled rehabilitation as the survivor works to achieve
recovery of function. A phenomenon that has stumped the medical
community for decades, and still remains unsolved is how best to
foster recovery for TBI individuals, although there is general
agreement that "motivation" plays a key role.
This study was designed to address the
following research question: What is the genesis and nature of the
motivation experienced by individuals with TBI in rehabilitation?
The author sought to understand the
motivational factors and to generate a model of these factors
grounded in the data. The phenomenological approach of grounded
theory was used to examine the experiences of individuals with TBI
as they constructed meaning from events and interactions in their
rehabilitation setting. For individuals with TBI in this study, the
outcome of motivation was engagement in rehabilitation programs.
The data in this study suggested that
participation was achieved as a result of a synergy that was
interactionally created by four contextual categories: one's
perception of self, perception of recovery, vision, and personal
interactions. This synergy was called momentum, the central
phenomenon. These categories are presented metaphorically in a
gyroscopic model. Momentum generated continued rehabilitation
participation, that, in turn, enabled the client to return to
community life at the highest level possible.
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