Agency and communion: modeling identity-transformation in recovery from substance misuse

Background: Research in the field of substance misuse shows that identity change is key to recovery. Theories typically focus on either personal or social factors in this process; however, a framework encompassing agency and communion has proved useful in understanding narratives in similar populations. Objectives: The study proposes that agency and communion provide useful constructs through which to examine substance misuse and recovery. Method: The Life As A Film\(LAAF) and repertory grids were used to explore agency and communion in a sample of 32 participants. Results: Smallest Space Analysis of LAAF content revealed four narrative structures according to elements of agency and communion. Case examples indicated that agency and communion themes related to a recovery identity, and an absence of themes was associated with substance misuse. Repertory grid analysis revealed a pattern of fixed low agency and communion constructs in cases of substance misuse, and a transformed high agency-communion construct system in cases of recovery. Transformation from a low agency and communion substance-using identity toward a high agency and communion recovery identity was illustrated. Conclusions: The exploratory results highlight the centrality of agentic and communal growth in identity-transformative recovery from substance misuse.

背景：物质滥用（substance misuse）领域的研究表明，身份转变是实现康复的核心要素。现有相关理论多聚焦于该过程中的个人或社会维度因素；然而，涵盖能动性（agency）与社群性（communion）的分析框架，在解析相似群体的叙事特征时被证实极具应用价值。
研究目标：本研究提出，能动性与社群性可作为有效构念（construct），用于探析物质滥用与康复的相关过程。
研究方法：本研究采用人生如影（Life As A Film, LAAF）工具与构念网格（repertory grid）法，对32名参与者组成的样本进行探究，以分析其中的能动性与社群性特征。
研究结果：对LAAF内容开展的最小空间分析（Smallest Space Analysis）显示，依据能动性与社群性维度可划分出四种叙事结构。案例分析表明，兼具能动性与社群性的主题与康复身份呈正相关，而此类主题的缺失则与物质滥用行为显著关联。构念网格分析结果显示，物质滥用群体呈现出固定的低能动性与低社群性构念模式，而康复群体则拥有经重构后的高能动性-社群性构念系统。本研究同时清晰展示了从低能动性与低社群性的物质滥用身份，向高能动性与高社群性的康复身份的转变路径。
研究结论：本探索性研究结果凸显了能动性与社群性成长，在物质滥用群体的身份转变式康复过程中的核心地位。