Ann-Katrin Bäcklund
Senior Lecturer
The Power of Place : Existential crises and Place Security in the Context of Pregnancy
Author
Summary, in English
Two studies were carried out, one in Sweden and the other in northern Norway. A qualitative analysis was made of the interview material, using the three basic elements of ontological security self-identity, continuity and ritualisation as a grid of analysis. Prior psychological research indicates that the prospect of giving birth and raising a family brings the issue of ontological security to the surface. The data confirms such findings, demonstrating the particular importance of place. During pregnancy, the women came to consider issues of identity related to their own childhood experience. A sense of security connected to place was essential for their well-being in this vulnerable period of transition, and was consciously sought to alleviate anxiety.
Both women who had previously lived very mobile lives and those who had been more sedentary exhibit need for place security. One of the typical coping strategies displayed was to return to childhood places. In other cases, the women tried to achieve place security for their children by recreating an environment similar to the place their own sense of identity was rooted in. Social institutions, such as schools, day-care facilities and jobs, largely determine where a sense of security can be achieved from a practical point of view. Deeper ontological security, however, relates to the individual's life history, and to places that represent continuity, daily routines and the constitution of identity for that individual. The material environment during childhood forms the primary basis for feelings of ontological security in adult life. The women also often relate to specific landscapes through sensory memory. The study does not support the social/nature dichotomisation of reality, but instead emphasizes the significance of childhood experiences of the material environment with respect to the women's experience of security during pregnancy.
Department/s
- Department of Human Geography
Publishing year
2006
Language
English
Publication/Series
Meddelande från Lunds universitets geografiska institution. Avhandlingar
Issue
170
Document type
Dissertation
Publisher
Department of Social and Economic Geography, Lund University
Topic
- Human Geography
Keywords
- Social geography
- health geography
- existential crises
- Place
- ontological security
- Socialgeografi
Status
Published
Supervisor
- Eric Clark
- Ann-Katrin Bäcklund
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0346-6787
- ISBN: 91-974997-8-1
Defence date
1 December 2006
Defence time
10:00
Defence place
Geocentrum I, Sal 111, Sölvegatan 12
Opponent
- Tony Gatrell (Professor)