No Place of Their Own: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The purpose of the research reported here was to explore with mothers and children the experience of having no place of their own. The researcher used Parse's theory of human becoming as a framework in this exploratory descriptive study. For the participants in this study the experience of living without a place of their own is: a sense of gratitude for protection, mingling with the discomfort of restriction and exposure, giving rise to fears and reassurances as detachment from cherished others surfaces discordance with unfamiliar patterns, while novel engagements bring pleasure as insights and struggles surface new possibles as well as disillusionment. Suggestions for theory expansion and further research are discussed.