Fall 2024 Aesthetic and Critical Reflection Paper

The Shifting Perspectives Model of Chronic Illness Student Name Institution Course Professor Date The Shifting Perspectives Model of Chronic Illness Living with a chronic illness is a balancing act between hope and despair, always walking the razor's edge. The Shifting Perspectives Model of Chronic Illness illustrates the constant fluctuation of emotions and viewpoints of people who sometimes concentrate on their illness and, at others, on their wellness. Chronic disease is not only a physical burden, but it also affects the mental level, leading to a situation where a person views her health through a lens of imbalanced self-worth. In this paper, I will discuss how Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" (1893) depicts chronic illness's emotional and psychological toll. I will also compare this artistic component to the Shifting Perspectives Model. The Shifting Perspectives Model accentuates that chronic illness is not a static condition but a dynamic and unstable state of change. Paterson (2001) states that individuals with chronic disease alternate between addressing their condition's burdens, such as pain, limits, and loss, and their overall wellness. When the disease is at the center, the individual feels entrapped and haunted by the symptoms. On the other hand, when wellness comes first, he can live more fully with the disease fading into the background. This perpetual dichotomy of sickness and health characterizes the lived experience of chronic conditions. Munch's "The Scream" artwork perfectly summarizes the uncontainable feelings accompanying the chronic disease. The center figure, with its misappre...