Studying dialogical selves dialogically: multiple-horizon analysis of critical moments in the working life of theatre actors in two cultures

Abstract

The project reported on here, construed within the general ontological framework of hermeneutic inquiry, considers the methodological consequences of this basic approach. A specific methodology that was developed, capturing both subjective contents and discursive construction processes, is described. It consists of a Diary-in-group method combining personal diary writing with group conversations and text-reading processes in a multi-horizon analysis. A concrete example of an empirical inquiry into the lives of theatre actors is presented. Critical moments in working life as viewed from the perspective of the health and psychological well-being of the actors were explored by use of the Diary-in-group method in both the Swedish and the Czech culture. A multiple-horizon analysis is used to provide a deeper understanding of cultural aspects of the personal and professional Self.