Karla

Abstract

“Karla and I made an 8.00 am appointment for our interview. I met her after a good night’s sleep; Karla met me after a night shift at the intensive care unit. I looked for signs that this was not a good time to embark on a three-hour interview, but I found none. She appeared awake and alert. Almost instantly, Karla blended into my image of an intensive care nurse”. In each of the four cases, Moen stresses two significant elements of analysis: the structure/pattern of the lived life and the structure/pattern of the told story. An essential element in the analysis is the relationship between the two, aiming at a deeper understanding of the subjective within a social context. Moen uses different panels to discuss the lived life and the told story of each interviewee. Their insights become a useful corrective in the reading of data.