A narrative analysis was used to explore the question, What does it mean to be an Aboriginal man with quadriplegia? Six in-depth semi-structured interviews and follow-up reviews were conducted with Dennis Sapp, a 52-year old Plains Cree man with quadriplegia who requested that his full name be used in the thesis document. <p>The results of the study appear in the form of a life story written in the first person derived through a process of narrative analysis of the interview transcripts. The narrative details Dennis early beginnings on the Little Pine Reserve near North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada and his memories of his maternal grandfather, Cree elder and WWII Veteran, Tom Sapp, who raised Dennis in the traditional way until he was forced to go to the St. Anthonys Residential School at Onion Lake at six years of age. The narrative includes an account of Dennis life before being taken to residential school, his experiences at residential school, and his life after leaving the school. In the narrative Dennis recounts the experience of losing his traditional culture and spirituality at residential school and the difficulties he encountered in his life as a result of the trauma of the residential school experience. He gives an account of sustaining a spinal cord injury and his experience post-injury and in rehabilitation. After reconnecting with his grandfather and returning to school to complete his education, Dennis rediscovered his traditional culture and spirituality and gained a renewed sense of meaning and purpose as a counsellor, disabilities advocate, and storyteller. Through regaining his culture and spirituality and sharing his story Dennis found balance and healing.

To pursuit as an entrepreneur is one of options of career, it is also a dream of many people. Not all the ventures are with success eventually, however, it deserves for a trial and learning a lesson. As being one of the founders of C corporation, the researcher will explore the undertaking process of starting an enterprise in this study, and investigate the issues induced by people and their influence during development of enterprise. The motivation of an entrepreneur to start an enterprise can be traced back to background of his childhood of family life, education and work experience. After setting up an enterprise, the employee will join and will get involved in managing of the organization. And the enterprise will become more complicate as a non-linear system. By investigating the key events during the venture, the role of people and problems induced at various stages of life-cycle of organization will be studied and try to find their resolution. By using narrative inquiry, the researcher will narrative himself as life story to re-entry realm of past experience of the venture of starting C corporation. Though, it is painful to recall some memory. However, the past experience is the most valuable and knowledgeable for C corporation to recreate second curve of life-cycle of organization by innovation of entrepreneurship.

This thesis reviews life stories of three lay congregations with the method of narrative inquiry. It consists of a collection of life experiences, and the searching of the values of life. The researcher reviews, reflects on, appreciates and gives meaning to these three life stories by using the theory of introspection as the main axis. And, the researcher used open-ended interview guide for reference. The purpose of this study is to explore the life story of three lay congregations, further analyzing in narrative research. Although the life stories of the three participants were all cultivated under individual context, the researcher discovered via the practice of Buddhism, three participants had evolved the spiritual side of themselves to a great extent; they therefore encouraged researcher to elaborate for the love of life, support researcher to return to her heart, searching the source of life. Trough in-depth interviews and candid retelling of their life stories, the mercy spiritual leader ¡VMaster Daoyuan - his credibility is documented. Through the appreciative method of narrative inquiry, the researcher reflect her cognitive-self by listening to the life stories of three lay congregations, to further identify with the practice of Buddhism.

Various dimensions of perfectionism are proposed, but are seldom integrated. This research develops and tests an integrative theory of perfectionism. Theory predicts personality traits (perfectionistic concerns, but not perfectionistic strivings) precede and predict changes in characteristic adaptations (perfectionistic self-presentation and perfectionism cognitions). Theory also predicts characteristic adaptations precede and predict decreases in subjective well-being (SWB), and are associated with a particular patterned form of perfectionistic narrative identity (i.e., heightened agency and lowered communion). This research tests this integrative theory. A sample of 127 emerging adults (ages 18-25) transitioning to university for the first time was recruited (78% female; 81% Caucasian). A 3-wave, 130-day longitudinal design with quantitative and qualitative components was used. Participants completed questionnaire measures of perfectionism and subjective well-being at all waves, and completed semi-structured life story interviews at Waves 1 and 3. Interviews were transcribed and coded for themes of agency (i.e., themes of achievement, status, power, and self-mastery) and communion (i.e., themes of love, dialogue, caring, and community). Results are presented in Chapters 2, 4 and 5. In Chapter 2, perfectionistic concerns led to increased perfectionistic self-presentation, which in turn led to decreases in SWB. In contrast, perfectionistic strivings did not predict longitudinal change in perfectionistic self-presentation or SWB. These findings supported hypotheses. In Chapter 4, perfectionistic concerns and perfectionism cognitions were positively correlated with agency. Perfectionism cognitions mediated the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and agency. A qualitative thematic analysis revealed themes of agency focused on performance-related concerns, with undertones of self-doubt and unrealistic high standards. These findings supported hypotheses. In Chapter 5, perfectionistic concerns and SWB were unrelated to communion, contrary to expectations. However, themes of communion exhibited good inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, and face validity. Hypotheses regarding communion were not supported. Overall, most hypotheses were supported. By conceptualizing perfectionistic personality as a dynamic, multifaceted, and integrated system, there are numerous implications for developmental, clinical, and personality psychology. These implications, along with the strengths and limitations of this study, are discussed.

This dissertation presents theoretical and empirical research on the agoraphobia. The theoretical part outlines the history and diagnosis of agoraphobia since the mid- nineteenth century to the present through selected theories of this disorder. Concept of normality and diagnosis of agoraphobia disorder according to ICD -10, DSM IV and DSM V are also addressed. Space is also devoted to the philosophical concept of anxiety and body in relation to space. In the empirical part of the thesis the life story narrative analysis as well as analysis of narrative interviews with women suffering from agoraphobia was carried out. Ten women represent the sample. Received research data were analysed using the categorial- formal analysis. Following research objectives were set: to analyse importance of the disease in lives of participants, to describe the individual specific form of the disease, to analyse individual meaning and purpose attributed by the participants to their disease, to describe diverse aspects of life depicting. The aim was also to learn about the ways participants manage their disease including the use of therapy. Life story narrative analysis of female agoraphobia proved to be a suitable method for understanding the very meaning of agoraphobia disorder and also the meaning that is being...

[pt] Os objetivos desta dissertação são analisar as (re)construções identitárias sócio-culturais de um migrante nordestino no Rio de Janeiro que emergem em sua história de vida e refletir sobre o processo sócio-histórico-cultural da migração no Brasil, particularmente a partir de 1930, e suas relações com as situações vivenciadas por esse migrante em Lagoa da Roça, Paraíba, e no Rio de Janeiro, cidade para a qual migra. Este estudo desenvolve-se em uma perspectiva sociointeracional para a análise do discurso junto a concepções de identidade(s) de ordem sócio-cultural e interacional, informadas pela ordem micro e macro do discurso. Os dados de análise consistem de duas gravações em áudio, obtidas através de entrevistas de pesquisa. Insere-se, assim, na tradição de pesquisa qualitativa e interpretativa. Seu Francisco, o entrevistado, tem 50 anos de idade e é porteiro há vinte e oito anos no prédio onde foram realizadas as entrevistas. Ele migra para o Rio de Janeiro em busca de melhores oportunidades de trabalho. Na análise, focalizam-se os posicionamentos do entrevistado tendo em vista as narrativas, explicações e crônicas construídas na interação com o entrevistador em torno do processo de migração, da família, do trabalho e dos amigos configurados em sua história. Os resultados deste estudo mostram o quanto conflituoso foi o processo de mudança sócio-cultural desse nordestino, que se constrói como um homem agentivo, cujas ações orientam-se para a autonomia, na roça, enquanto, no Rio de Janeiro, Seu Francisco mostra-se mais passivo, com menos iniciativa e sem expectativas definidas. / [en] The objectives of this study are to analyze the (re) construction of the socio-cultural identities of a northeastern migrant in Rio de Janeiro that emerge in his life story and reflect on the socio-historical-cultural migration process in Brazil, particularly from 1930, and its relations with the situations experienced by the migrant in Lagoa da Roça, Paraíba, and Rio de Janeiro, city to where he migrates. This study is developed in a sociointeractional perspective, analyzing the speech from the socio-cultural and interactional concepts of identity, informed by the micro and macro speech. The data for analysis consist of two recordings on audio, obtained through interview research, following the tradition of qualitative and interpretative research. S. Francisco, the interviewee, is 50 years old and has been a doorman for twenty-eight years in the building where the interviews were conducted. He migrates to Rio de Janeiro seeking better job opportunities. In the analysis, the interviewee`s positions are focused in view of the narratives, explanations and chronics about the process of migration, family, work and friends set in his story, which are constructed in interaction with the interviewer. The results of this study show how conflictuous has been the process of the sociocultural change in that northeastern migrant life, who constructs the identity of an agentive man, whose actions are moving towards his autonomy in the countryside, while in Rio de Janeiro, S. Francisco shows to be more passive, with less initiative and without defined expectations.

One way of exploring musical identity, as a phenomenon, is to listen to the life stories of musicians. This research interpreted the narratives of undergraduate students of Western Art Music at a South African tertiary institution and described the experiences and the lives of these music students, and the meanings that they attribute to their identities. The participating music students described what they perceive as real-life experiences and defined their views on human self-definition with reference to their chosen study field. The research approach entails a philosophical framework of hermeneutic interpretivism. Such a non-positivist approach sees the lived experiences of the music students not on their own, but as depending on interpretation by the researcher to establish the meanings these students gave to musical identity. The methodology includes a qualitative approach which was done from a narrative perspective through personal storytelling and a thematic analysis of the data. Data triangulation ensures verification of findings by the author and individual participants agreed upon the interpretations of the researcher of their narrations. Participating music students confirmed that personal storytelling assisted them in understanding their musicianship in a better way, as well as gave them a clearer perspective on personal musical experiences. The influence of practising and performing on musical identity was described, but the interaction with music teachers was found to be a significant influential factor on musical identity. The perceptions of South African society in general, with reference to Western Art Music, were found to be detrimental to the musical identities of these students. Musical identities were found to be interwoven in relationships, embedded in the realities of the field of music education and existing deep in the inner selves of these music students. / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Music / DMus / Unrestricted

The purpose of this life story study was to explore the experiences of a woman high school teacher-coach and the factors that have contributed to her maintained involvement in sport leadership throughout her life. One participant took part in one timeline interview and four subsequent semi-structured interviews over several months. The resultant transcripts were analysed using a combination of narrative and thematic analysis. The findings of this study provided insight into four broad themes: passion for sport, perception of gender, personal traits, and community and belonging. This study contributes a unique, in-depth, exploration of life as a woman teacher-coach in Canada, and the facilitating factors for long term sport involvement. Future studies may explore the experiences of women volunteer coaches. / Graduate

In this thesis I am studying how we can make the past accessible in the present through thecombination of objects and stories. The aim is to look at how we are connected to the past andinterwoven with the stories and the objects around us. My interest lies in how and why theseprocesses are important to us and to art pedagogy. In the study I explore the method of objectelicitation to see how it can be useful in art education.Through an ethnography-inspired approach I conducted four interviews, two in Sweden andtwo in South Africa. The narratives that were unfolded from objects in the interviews wereanalyzed with the theoretical concepts relationship and life story from theory on materialculture and narrative theory. I have also used the concept trace from Paul Ricoeur’s writingon narrative time.Using an object of the participant’s choosing as a point of departure, triggered long focusedconversations about the past in relation to personal history and present life. Variousexpressions emerged where the objects in this study can be interpreted as active agentsshaping the people around them, holding knowledge and bridging time. When actualizing theobjects through storytelling relationships to people and places were revealed, giving theabstract perishable past form and meaning in the present. Powerful emotions involved in theseprocesses were expressed in the interviews.This study has a double perspective with both an academic and artistic research process. Theresult of the study is presented in this thesis as well as in an artwork consisting of three shortfilms that were exhibited on Konstfack’s graduation show in 2013.To carry out the field study at the Human Rights Media Centre in Cape Town, South Africa, Ireceived an MFS-stipend.

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