scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question

Showing papers in "Qualitative Research in Psychology in 2006"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Thematic analysis is a poorly demarcated, rarely acknowledged, yet widely used qualitative analytic method within psychology as mentioned in this paper, and it offers an accessible and theoretically flexible approach to analysing qualitative data.
Abstract: Thematic analysis is a poorly demarcated, rarely acknowledged, yet widely used qualitative analytic method within psychology. In this paper, we argue that it offers an accessible and theoretically flexible approach to analysing qualitative data. We outline what thematic analysis is, locating it in relation to other qualitative analytic methods that search for themes or patterns, and in relation to different epistemological and ontological positions. We then provide clear guidelines to those wanting to start thematic analysis, or conduct it in a more deliberate and rigorous way, and consider potential pitfalls in conducting thematic analysis. Finally, we outline the disadvantages and advantages of thematic analysis. We conclude by advocating thematic analysis as a useful and flexible method for qualitative research in and beyond psychology.

103,789 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss two complementary commitments of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA): the phenomenological requirement to understand and give voice to the concerns of participants; and the interpretative requirement to contextualize and make sense of these claims and concerns from a psychological perspective.
Abstract: In this paper, we discuss two complementary commitments of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA): the phenomenological requirement to understand and ‘give voice’ to the concerns of participants; and the interpretative requirement to contextualize and ‘make sense’ of these claims and concerns from a psychological perspective. The methodological and conceptual bases for the relationship between these phenomenological and interpretative aspects of IPA appear to be underdeveloped in the literature. We, therefore, offer some thoughts on the basis of this relationship, and on its context within qualitative psychology. We discuss the epistemological range of IPA's interpretative focus, and its relationship to the more descriptive features of phenomenological analysis. In order to situate our conclusions within a contextualist position, we draw upon concepts from Heideggerian phenomenology. The argument is illustrated by excerpts from our own research on relationship break-up. We conclude by encouraging ...

1,850 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a range of theoretical tensions and differences embedded within the field of narrative inquiry have been explored, with the aim to make better sense of this field by making better use of qualitative research.
Abstract: In recent years, qualitative researchers in psychology have become increasingly interested in narrative inquiry. With a view to stimulating dialogue, in this article, we seek to make better sense of this field by exploring a range of theoretical tensions and differences embedded within it. Organized around three overall themes, eight contrasting perspectives are presented for discussion. Theme one, termed ‘narrative and the self’, is comprised of tensions surrounding: the relation between narrative and self; the unity of self; and the coherence of self. Theme two, ‘ontology or nature of narrative’, covers: (neo)realism/relativism; interiority or externality; and constructionism. The final theme, labelled ‘approaches to narrative research’, consists of tensions entailing: the whats and/or the hows, and an analysis of narrative and storytelling. We close by suggesting that each contrasting perspective is worthy of consideration in its own right and that co-existence is possible despite some differences.

216 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a qualitative, interpretive phenomenological study was carried out, during which ten participants were asked for their accounts of the experience of boredom, and the aims of the study were to find out more about the antecedents to boredom, the experience itself, any stages in its development and methods used to deal with it.
Abstract: Boredom remains a poorly understood phenomenon despite its evident association with dysfunctional behavior and mental health problems. However, little research has been devoted to the topic, and the bulk of studies have almost exclusively been quantitative in design. For this reason, a qualitative, interpretive phenomenological study was carried out, during which ten participants were asked for their accounts of the experience of boredom. These people were sampled from the general population. The aims of the study were to find out more about the antecedents to boredom, the experience itself, any stages in its development, and methods used to deal with it. Findings indicated that boredom is an extremely unpleasant and distressing experience. Situations giving rise to the sensation varied between specific external factors, to a general propensity to boredom proneness, although, according to the participants of the study, these could change throughout their lifetime. Feelings comprising the experience of bor...

173 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Linda Finlay1
TL;DR: The authors argue for the importance of researchers attending reflexively to the bodies of both participant and researcher, and advocate attending to the body and embodiment through at least three distinct, though connected, layers: bodily empathy, embodied self-awareness and embodied intersubjectivity.
Abstract: Phenomenologists would agree that the body discloses the world just as the world discloses itself through the body. Yet, in much phenomenological research, the focus is on words from transcripts and protocols – the body is strangely absent. In this article, I argue for the importance of researchers attending reflexively to the bodies of both participant and researcher. I advocate attending to the body and embodiment through at least three distinct, though connected, layers: bodily empathy, embodied self-awareness and embodied intersubjectivity. Examples from different research projects are offered to show how such analyses might be worked reflexively. The final discussion section raises some critical issues about pursuing research in this way and examines the practical challenges of engaging in reflexive bodily analysis.

117 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an application of Q methodology (QM) to an applied area of psychological research is described, which constitutes a complementary sequel to a recent paper in these pages by Watts and Stenner (2005), and outlines how QM can be used to identify patterns and themes in interview transcripts, fieldnotes or naturalistic observation, as a complementary alternative to other qualitative analytic methods.
Abstract: This article focuses on an application of Q methodology (QM) to an applied area of psychological research. It constitutes a complementary sequel to a recent paper in these pages by Watts and Stenner (2005), and outlines how QM can be used to identify patterns and themes in interview transcripts, fieldnotes or naturalistic observation, as a complementary alternative to other qualitative analytic methods. QM was devised by William Stephenson in the 1930s, after he developed considerable misgivings over what he saw as the almost exclusively positivist leanings of psychological research methodology at the time (a trend which, arguably, has only been challenged relatively recently). QM is now increasingly seen by some research psychologists as providing an innovative approach to qualitative analysis, by strengthening conceptual categorization through the quantification of patterned subjectivities, using Q-sorts. Although QM deploys factor analysis, the mathematics of which is complex, it is a ‘user-friendly’ m...

92 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Nick Midgley1
TL;DR: A history of mutual suspicion between qualitative researchers and psychoanalytic practitioners, despite many apparent areas of shared concern, can be found in this paper, where a brief account of Freud's own epistemological and methodological position(s) with regard to research is given.
Abstract: This paper outlines a history of mutual suspicion between qualitative researchers and psychoanalytic practitioners, despite many apparent areas of shared concern. After offering a brief account of Freud's own epistemological and methodological position(s) with regard to research, the paper describes some of the most important attempts to combine qualitative research with psychoanalytic ideas in the last ten years, focusing particularly on the development of the psychoanalytically-informed research interview and the potential uses of counter-transference within qualitative inquiry. Some potential criticisms of these approaches from the perspective of discursive psychology are described, and the place of lacanian psychoanalysis within discourse analysis is briefly explored. The paper concludes by discussing some of the arguments for and against incorporating more psychoanalytic methods into qualitative psychology, and suggests that greater interaction between these two fields could lead to the enrichment of...

69 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Susan E. Bell1
TL;DR: The authors explored works of art produced by two women with breast cancer: Jo Spence, a British photographer, and Martha Hall, an American who created artists' books, and showed how they constructed meaning in the production and display of their art and built an argument about the benefits of developing a visual sociological imagination.
Abstract: Post-modern social scientists are moving beyond text-based evidence to gain understandings of embodiment and experiences of illness. This essay explores works of art produced by two women with breast cancer: Jo Spence, a British photographer, and Martha Hall, an American who created artists' books. It shows how they construct meaning in the production and display of their art and builds an argument about the benefits of developing a visual sociological imagination.

40 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper explored the opportunities offered by adopting embodied reflexive practice and, despite the challenges it poses, concluded that this has much to offer (critical) qualitative psychologists, and that embodied reflexivity can be deployed to interrogate ethical commitments, guide research discussions, enrich analyses, provide a...
Abstract: Although practicing reflexivity is accepted as an important ingredient in qualitative psychological research, it is frequently only engaged with to examine how researchers' perspectives affect research interactions, data collection and analyses. Typically, little attention is paid to how physical bodies affect research activities and participants. Drawing upon interview research with women who practise ‘bulimia’ and using feminist post-structuralism as a framework for conceptualizing the body as simultaneously material/textual, this article examines how the bodies of participants and researchers are thoroughly implicated in research processes via reciprocal intersubjective exchanges. This paper explores the opportunities offered by adopting embodied reflexive practice and, despite the challenges it poses, concludes that this has much to offer (critical) qualitative psychologists. Embodied reflexivity can be deployed to interrogate ethical commitments, guide research discussions, enrich analyses, provide a...

36 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Findings indicate that claiming medical legitimacy for a contested illness involves a difficult and protracted process in which sufferers develop social representations of the etiology, diagnostic criteria, trajectory, and treatment of their illnesses.
Abstract: This study examines the social influences that shape how individuals come to believe they have a contested illness and the explanations of illness legitimacy that result. Chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivities, and Gulf War syndrome have all been identified as contested illnesses because their etiology, diagnosis, and prevalence are controversial. Narratives from in-depth interviews with 22 individuals who identified themselves as having these illnesses were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Findings indicate that claiming medical legitimacy for a contested illness involves a difficult and protracted process in which sufferers develop social representations of the etiology, diagnostic criteria, trajectory, and treatment of their illnesses. Study results shed light on the role of sufferers in the social construction of the medical and cultural legitimacy of emerging illnesses.

33 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, six female self-cutters were interviewed and their audiotaped responses were analyzed according to the phenomenological method of data analysis, revealing that self-cutting pulls the individual together while simultaneously tearing her apart with its self-destructive, shaming, and addictive consequences.
Abstract: This paper offers an in-depth phenomenological exploration of the self-cutting experience and the meanings of the gesture, the wound, and the resulting scar. The phenomenon of self-cutting lends itself to qualitative questions. To address these questions, six female self-cutters were interviewed. Their audiotaped responses were analysed according to the phenomenological method of data analysis (Giorgi, 1975). The purpose of such research is to explicate the structure of a phenomenon from the descriptions of individuals who experience it. By including all that was common across participants' situated structures, the general structural description or essential meaning of the phenomenon was reached. Results revealed that ‘bodily mineness’, pain, despair, and competence all factor into the embodied nature of self-cutting. The act of self-cutting pulls the individual together while simultaneously tearing her apart with its self-destructive, shaming, and addictive consequences. Nevertheless, findings reveal how...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In order to establish well functioning communication the interviewer's contribution, particularly the willingness to explore and pursue the emotional content in the patient's narrative, was found to be important.
Abstract: Twenty-seven video-recorded interviews, with nine patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, were analyzed using qualitative methodology. Sequences of well- and of poorly functioning communication were ...


Journal ArticleDOI
Pam Shakespeare1
TL;DR: In this article, the use made of descriptions of embodiment and embodied activity in a collection of articles, which include case histories in different therapeutic traditions, was explored, focusing on how description is constructed; what competent ordinary members (of society) understand as elicited from accounts; and how work practice can be articulated.
Abstract: This paper explores the use made of descriptions of embodiment and embodied activity in a collection of articles, which include case histories in different therapeutic traditions. As a context, the paper draws on three interests of ethnomethodology: how description is constructed; what competent ordinary members (of society) understand as elicited from accounts; and how work practice can be articulated. Primarily using introductory sections of accounts about cases in a spread of therapeutic traditions, the paper analyses how ordinary commonplace accounts of embodiment may offer initial clues as to the ‘state’ of the client, present a picture of the problem, or be used as relevant biographical data. A key feature of the analysis is to show that these embodied accounts, using ordinary lay language, do important work in establishing problems as ‘in and part of the world’, but are also an appropriate supplement to therapeutic accounts.