Normalizations in Microsociological Dementia Research

Qualitative methods shape the selection of theories used to explain findings, meaning researchers actively construct the phenomena under study. In this presentation, I address the role of subjectivity and self-reflection, which, for example, the Grounded Theory Methodology, has been drawing attention to, using microsociological dementia research as a case. I also discuss its implications for care ethics.

Praxeological studies, based on observations and video data, often conclude that meaning-making in dementia is secured through the body. Even when cognitive abilities and verbal communication decline, prereflexive knowledge enables interaction, suggesting that a person's selfhood can still be embodied.

However, my social phenomenological study, based on 25 semi-structured interviews with family caregivers of people with dementia, points in a different direction. Analyzing these interviews interpretatively, I demonstrate how dementia disrupts "normal" interaction processes. When the idealizations necessary for successful interaction are suspended, the subjectivity and responsibility attributed to the other person are profoundly affected. Family caregivers must navigate these disruptions and the challenges to sociality they present.

I argue for replacing the dominant constructivist and victim-perpetrator model in dementia discourse with Alfred Schutz's social phenomenology, which acknowledges the critical role of the body and everyday consciousness in sociality. Rather than normalizing dementia as a condition where the body independently shapes reality, dementia care ethics must address the vulnerabilities and disruptions of the body schema. This shift emphasizes the transformative potential of social relationships in dementia, highlighting the importance of integrating both the body and mental processes in understanding social interaction.