Based on phenomenological hermeneutics and narrative theory the study explored how parents experience and create meaning when the child receives the diagnosis of autistic disorder. Interviews were conducted with eight parents and the analysis concerned both contents and form in their stories. The resulting aspects of the contents is presented in seven areas: stories about the time before the diagnosis, seeking help, receiving the diagnosis, the meaning of the diagnosis, coping, living with autism and stories about the future. The six resulting aspects of form included: chronology of the stories, creating order out of chaos, cultural norms, rewriting the story about the child, aspects of metaphors and changing perspective. The conclusion of the study is that the diagnosis serves as a way for the parents to transform experiences into a meaningful whole.

The purpose of this study is to establish how a few youngsters have experienced their time in contact families and which, if any, significance their respective ?contact families? has for them today. The study aims to determine the life situation in the youth?s families at the time support through ?contact families? was initiated and the youths? own view of the reasons for this support. We also want to shed light on the meaning that the contact families had on the youth; considering both positive as well as negative meaning.

This essay examines the differences and similarities, weaknesses and strengths of the two Cognitive Semantic theories Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Principled Polysemy Approach to Meaning Analysis. To illustrate the two theories, the Swedish verb-particle construction "gå upp" is examined and analyzed accordingly. The results showed differences in the number of polysemous meaning found. The methodological evaluation showed that the differences in the underlying ideas concerning meaning-construction behind these two theories make them incompatible..

This essay examines the differences and similarities, weaknesses and strengths of the two Cognitive Semantic theories Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Principled Polysemy Approach to Meaning Analysis. To illustrate the two theories, the Swedish verb-particle construction "gå upp" is examined and analyzed accordingly. The results showed differences in the number of polysemous meaning found. The methodological evaluation showed that the differences in the underlying ideas concerning meaning-construction behind these two theories make them incompatible..

This is a study concerning the conventions surrounding death and it´s rituals during the latter half ofthe 21th century. The study´s main material is the official magazine of SBF - Sweden´s funeral association ? Memento. By studying the undertaker and the self-image of his services at an intervalof years from 1945 to 2005, one is able to notice certain changes of values concerning what afuneral, a chest and a tombstone really is ? or rather how the meaning of these symbols of death slowly shifts from the ?dignity? of death towards the self-expression of the individual.In the 1940´s towards the 80´s, there is much talk of giving the dead a ?dignified? funeral and burial, and this is how the undertaker defends himself against public critique of his or her´sprofession´s ?trade with death?.

Choir singing is one of the most popular national movements in Sweden but the knowledge of the meaning of this activity for health and well being from the choir singers? own experiences is limited. The purpose of this study was therefore to develop useful knowledge about the meaning of choir singing for participating persons from a health perspective. The data was collected through qualitative interviews with six different choir singers and went after that through a comprehensive analysis which resulted in four main categories: an oasis in the existence; possibilities of meetings and solidarity; goals and musical development; and physical and emotional well-being. The results showed that the choir activity represents a place where the singers can escape the demands and the stress factors of everyday life and where they get the opportunity of meaningful relations with other people.

This is a qualitative study aiming to examine peoples? experiences when retiring. In that purpose a criteria based sample has been used, participants have been asked in that they fulfilled the criteria?s to be a retiree within the age of 65 to 71 years of age. The reason of the age criteria was that the experiences should not be so far away in time.

This essay provides an attempt to reflect the notions of violence, right or law and fate in Benjamin?s Zur Kritik der Gewalt, in order to clarify his very dense historical-philosophical reflection on the constitutive relation between violence and law. In contrast to what is most often the case, this essay will not address the notion of divine violence in a direct sense, but mainly focus on Benjamin?s discussion on right and law. The complex of his historical reflection, his attempt to articulate what he calls the ?historical function? not only of violence, but also of law, is crucially related to the notion of fate.

This project aims to obtain a deeper understanding of what it is like to be young today, and of how young people experience their lives. Identifying and uncovering the process of meaning constitution concerning young people's thoughts and feelings within each subjective individual, and their visions about the future as well as how they experience relations to other people in their surrounding, was achieved with a phenomenological approach. The participants were asked to write a self-report in answer to a carefully formulated question.The received reports were analysed according to the method of Meaning Constitution Analysis and Sphinx Lexica. The result showed that young people's lives are both complex and unique. They rather write about friends than family and write less about the future than we first assumed.

Sense of coherence amongst employees with reduced work-capacity at Samhall.Sanela Jakupovic TrostekScientific essay in public health, 15 hp, Academy of Health and promoting Working Life, University of GävleThe aim of this study was to examine how employees at Samhall who has reduced work-capacity experienced their sense of coherence (SOC). The study includes gender, age and civil status in the analysis. The study includes 34 respondents which are divided as 20 men and 14 women. To measure SOC a quantitative method with a 29 standardized questionnaire was used.It was found that the employees felt, in general, low SOC, which means more difficult adaptation to their life situation. Noteworthy is that 70 % of the men in this study showed low SOC compared to 35,7 % of the women.One conclusion that can be drawn is that within Samhall, it showed that women had a higher SOC mean value than men which means they are more equipped to handle, understand and find meaning in their work life. Keywords: Antonovsky, Samhall, disability, work-capacity, sense of coherence (SOC).

 In his book Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language (1982) Saul Kripke claims that Wittgenstein argues for a certain form of scepticism in his book Philosophical Investigations (1953), namely a new form of philosophical scepticism, a result of Wittgenstein´s idea of language as language games. Nihilism, scepticism of meaning or of concept, constitutive scepticism are other commentators´ different names of the same phenomenon. The philosophy of Wittgenstein accounts for how our words, including the words of mathematics, have no meaning and there are no a priori justified objective facts as to what I mean about a word. We follow the rules blindly and without justification. We are unable to find any facts against this proposal.

The aim of this Master?s thesis is to investigate the meaning the reading group of the public library has to a number of users. To fulfill the aim the following three questions have been formulated: 1) What do a number of users expect from the reading group of the public library? 2) Which approach/attitude or approaches/attitudes do a number of users have to reading and to talking about reading? 3) How do a number of users experience the ongoing reading group?The research is founded on qualitative interviews with five users that take part in three different reading groups in public libraries. The theories that are used is the theory of three so called strategies - the pragmatic, the traditionalistic, the emancipatory ? and the theory of flow.

Do youths know what life values their parents have? Does this knowledge have a connection with the youth?s attachment to their parents? Do the youth?s life values differ from their parents? And could the youth?s life values affect how they estimate their parent?s life values? To answer these questions data from a survey were used. The respondents were 13-15 years old youths and their parents. The results show that youths do not know what life values their parents have, irrespective of if the attachment to them is good or bad. The results also show that the youth?s own life values to a high extend affect how they estimate their parent?s life values.

 In his book Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language (1982) Saul Kripke claims that Wittgenstein argues for a certain form of scepticism in his book Philosophical Investigations (1953), namely a new form of philosophical scepticism, a result of Wittgenstein´s idea of language as language games. Nihilism, scepticism of meaning or of concept, constitutive scepticism are other commentators´ different names of the same phenomenon. The philosophy of Wittgenstein accounts for how our words, including the words of mathematics, have no meaning and there are no a priori justified objective facts as to what I mean about a word. We follow the rules blindly and without justification. We are unable to find any facts against this proposal.

Lot?s of reasons are showing that outdoor life has a positive influence on the general publics health and studies are confirming this theory. On the other hand there are a few amount of Swedish science project?s regarding outdoor life. The aim of this study was to examine how people feel that their health influences by outdoor life.