140 Chapter 7 Experiencing (dis)agreement, collaboration and struggle Lastly, experiencing (dis)agreement, collaboration and struggle refers to the experience of working together or against each other, and the feeling of agreement (or disagreement and struggle) over what should happen (Box G). BOX G Family member on her experience of disagreement with professionals on what she can have a say in, which revolved around the role of the person with severe mental illness as perceived by her (he has shortcomings which need to be supported) versus her perception of the professional view (he is a grown man who needs to tend to himself), and she feels she has to step in because of her negative expectations on what professionals will do. R: [Sigh] with C, I feel like professionals; consider you, a family member, a pain in the neck: It’s a grown man. As an aunt, what right do you have to interfere or get involved anyway? That’s how they deal with it. That’s how I experienced it. I: And how does that make you feel? R: It makes you feel powerless. [and] I see it differently. I see that he has got shortcomings and that’s why I get involved, to help him. To supplement those shortcomings a little bit. Yeah, you have to, otherwise... nothing will happen. Because then they think: that family won’t come, they won’t care anyway. And then they leave those people for what it is. I: So you actually have to keep the professionals going? R: Yes. In some cases, yes. And especially if the client is passive. See table 3 for more illustrative quotes from the perspectives of persons with severe mental illness, family and professionals on all four subthemes, including ones that illustrate positive expectations, mutual information, having (shared) agency and the experience of having common ground (agreement) for collaboration. Table 3: Interacting with others in the triad (theme 2). 2.1 Having positive and negative expectations Persons with severe mental illness I broke off contact, because it wasn’t going so well, and I didn’t want them to be disappointed in me. That they would think: he is hospitalized, he is not doing well, he’s a little crazy. Person with severe mental illness basing his actions on negative expectations [continued on next page]
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