Inside the black box: Modeling “Life Writing” for lifelong health and well being

•Participants recalled, appraised & worked through unresolved attachment experiences.•Such integrative reminiscence improves psychological, physical & economic health.•Stakeholders must not just know that Life Writing works, but also how.•A clear theory of change for Life Writing is lacking....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evaluation and program planning 2018-06, Vol.68, p.108-116
Main Authors: Sabir, Myra, Johnson, Margaret A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Attachment
Attachment-focused integrative reminiscence
Change agents
Earned-secure attachment
Health status
Impact analysis
Integrative reminiscence
Intervention
Life expectancy
Life Writing
Lifespan theory of change
Memories
Personal health
Trauma
Well being
Writing
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Summary:•Participants recalled, appraised & worked through unresolved attachment experiences.•Such integrative reminiscence improves psychological, physical & economic health.•Stakeholders must not just know that Life Writing works, but also how.•A clear theory of change for Life Writing is lacking.•An evaluation planning tool was used to diagram Life Writing’s theory of change. We articulate the lifespan theory of change by which an attachment-focused integrative reminiscence intervention, “Life Writing”, is expected to interrupt the continuing problem of insecure attachment in adults and reverse associated reduced health and well-being outcomes. Based on preliminary studies and previous research, Life Writing is expected to foster earned-secure attachment in adults who work through subjective memories of unresolved attachment trauma. Roughly two decades of research on integrative reminiscence interventions like Life Writing show their consistent and wide-ranging positive impact. However, the bulk of this research demonstrates that such programs work, without also clarifying how they work, leaving unanswered questions as to how change occurs and how benefits might continue to accrue to participants through the lifespan. This represents what are known as “black box” effects. A program and evaluation planning tool, The Netway, was used to 1) identify hypothesized links between program inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and long-term impacts; 2) to clarify the underlying assumptions related to the program’s success; and 3) to consider the appropriate contexts for the program. The logic model presented here articulates the hypothesized causal pathway from insecure to earned-secure attachment, in preparation for rigorous empirical tests of the program’s lifespan theory of change.
ISSN:0149-7189
1873-7870
DOI:10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2018.02.002