Negotiating 'normal' : space, illness and identity in an alternative mental health resource in Montreal

This thesis investigates different spaces in the lives of a group of adults living with long-term mental illness in Montreal. In particular, it is interested in exploring the role and functions of an alternative mental health resource that they all attend, using their narratives as the basis of meaning construction. My intention is to illuminate the complex interplay of identity, social participation, and physical place itself in the 'space' of experience for individuals. The way that a description of one of these elements is often in relationship with the other two, and that these connections can be useful in understanding descriptions of experiences by individuals, which, in David Morris' terms occur in a, "realm beyond language" (1997:p29). Finally, the concept of the 'border' is proposed as a tool to reexamine culture, identity and space, and one that is particularly useful in the context of self-help groups