[Towards a notion of narrative from a care perspective].

Abstract

The narrative phenomenon in bioethics is remarkably broad, and although some have spoken of a turn or a narrative era, it is not very clear, due to this broadness, exactly what it entails. This contribution attempts to highlight how a narratively well focused care perspective is qualified to enhance the level of freedom (and not only autonomy) by which the patient makes his or her decisions. To this end, an idea of narrative consistent with this perspective will first be outlined (ep. II). Then we will examine how illness can arouse a deep encounter of the patient with himself/herself, opening the way to a quest narrative, enabling him/her to integrate this traumatic experience into a new meaning horizon (ep. III). Finally, it is emphasized that the empowerment of the patient's freedom, through a, so to speak, narrative care, prevents abandoning the patient to his own autonomy, while limiting the need to interfere in his decisions (ep. IV).