Towards a theory of interrupted feelings

The purpose of this study is to identify central aspects of feelings in relation to the experience of being a brother or sister of someone who suffers from schizophrenia. The study makes use of a hermeneutical method for the collection of data as well as for the systemizing and interpretation of data. The participants in the study were 16 siblings of persons with diagnosed schizophrenia. In total 80 interviews were done, with an average length of 50 min. A theory of interrupted feelings was developed within the tension between empirical data and preunderstanding. Mixed feelings of grief, hope, anger, guilt and shame are interrupted by four interrelated factors: ambiguous loss, the fluctuating nature of the illness, an inner prohibition of feelings and the tendency of others to invalidate the feelings. The interruption may lead to a lonely and painful experience which is difficult both to process for oneself and to share with others.