Cognition Through Narrative: My Quest for an Empowering New Story

Abstract

Questers for Hire (creative element) accompanied by a critical work (exegesis), Cognition through narrative: my quest for an empowering new story. It follows the journey of Mei, a young woman who recently lost her partner to a brain tumour, dealing with the mental health fallout on her life as she navigates her grief.

The thesis asks the question of whether humans can utilise metaphor and narrative to defuse negative thought, behaviour, and feeling cycles, as well as communicate the experience to others. The critical work (exegesis) supports the graphic novel (creative element) by exploring my personal mental illness recovery using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and the ways in which habitual use of CBT techniques informed on my decision to narrate through graphic novel.