The aim of this study is to put forth, examine and understand eight young adult Muslims view of Islam and what it means to be a Muslim in Sweden. The analysed material consists of eight interviews with young adult Muslims, in the age 16 to 19 years old, made in december of 2017. To aid the research three questions were formulated: (1) What is Islam according to young adult Muslims?, (2) What does it mean to be Muslim according to young adult Muslims? and (3) What affect does religion have on the identity of young adult Muslims? In order to answer the questions and fulfill the purpose of this study a qualitative method of semi-structured interviews have been used. Further a theory of strategic and tactic religion along with a theory about self-identification were applied to analyze the result of the interviews. The study shows that young adult Muslims in Sweden, though they are affected of strategic religion, use tactics to individualize Islam in order to align with their every day life. The study also shows that Swedish young Muslims’ identity are affected by religion and that this can be related to categories such as continuity, between cultures, hybrid and deculturation.

I detta självständiga arbete studeras en skapandeprocess av ett klassiskt stycke för solofiol med en dikt som inspirationskälla. Syftet med denna studie är att belysa hur känsloliv och livsvärld påverkat skapandet av ett musikaliskt verk genom ett fenomenologiskt perspektiv. Studien grundar sig på fem separata självobservationer genom ljudinspelning. Med hjälp av fenomenologin undersöks hur komponerandet som fenomen kan möjliggöras med hjälp av stimulans från en dikt. Resultatet redovisas genom fyra olika teman: Komponerandets begynnelse, Komponerandets fortskridande, Färdigställande av verket samt Känsloliv och livsvärld. I resultatet framkom att känsloliv och livsvärld påverkade skapandeprocessen av verket på olika sätt genom arbetet. I början av studien hägrade utopiska tankar som hindrade skapandeprocessen. Därefter skedde en förändring i attityd till de egna förmågorna och genom reflektion och kontemplation kunde stycket skapas. Avslutningsvis följer en diskussion kring resultatanalysen i relation till vald litteratur som utgår ifrån tidigare forskning, studier samt det fenomenologiska perspektivet. / In this independent study the process in composing a classical piece for solo violin with a poem as inspiration is examined. The purpose of this study is to enlighten how the emotional life as well as the lived life have affected the making of a classical composition through a phenomenological perspective. The study is based on five separate self-observations through audio recording. With the help of phenomenology the study examines how the composition as a phenomenon can be accomplished with the stimulation from a poem. The result is shown through four different themes: The Composition Birth, The Composition Progress, Finishing the Piece and Emotional Life and Lived Life. In the result it appeared that the emotional life and lived life affected the making process of the piece in different ways throughout the work. In the beginning of the study utopian thoughts lingered and prevented the making process. Thereafter a change occurred in relation to my own abilities and through reflection and contemplation the piece could be created. Thereafter a chapter on discussion treats the result analysis in relation to the chosen literature which is based on previous research, studies and the phenomenological perspective.

Abuse negatively affects women living with HIV and AIDS. It can be a hindrance to living positively with the disease. Little is known about the essence of living with HIV, AIDS and abuse among women. The purpose of this study was to develop and refine guidelines for assessment of abuse in women living with HIV and AIDS. The objectives were to explore and describe the experiences of the women in Lilongwe, Malawi and to develop and refine guidelines for assessment of abuse in the women. In phase 1 of the study, descriptive phenomenology as espoused in life world research was used. Data were gathered using unstructured interviews from a purposefully selected sample of 12 women living with HIV and AIDS who had encountered abuse. The data were analysed using qualitative methods. The women’s experiences were characterized by humiliation from partners, families, neighbours and friends; hopelessness and blame. Harm emanated from being beaten, stress suffered from the abuse, interrupted antiretroviral drugs and possible re-infection with HIV due to unprotected sex. Abandonment of the women by their husbands and families was a common occurrence. Phase 2 of the study was the development of guidelines that can be used with women who experience abuse while living with HIV and AIDS. The guidelines were based on discussion of the findings of phase 1 in the context of an extensive literature review on the constituents. Modified Delphi technique was utilized to refine the draft guidelines. Two rounds were used to finalize the guidelines by a panel of ten experts who were purposefully selected based on their involvement in issues of gender-based violence, HIV and AIDS. The study findings though applicable to the context of the study, can be transferable to similar contexts. Recommendations made include validating the assessment guidelines and testing them in practice to evaluate the applicability and feasibility of using the guidelines. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2013 / Nursing Science / unrestricted

Background: Family members of people with eating disorders are often involved in caregiving. To better understand the impact on them, outcomes such as burden, distress, and less frequently quality of life (QoL) are taken into consideration. Despite advancements in the knowledge base surrounding the experiences of adult and parental caregivers of individuals with eating disorders, particularly Anorexia Nervosa, there is a scarcity of qualitative exploration from the sibling perspective, particularly that of adolescent siblings. Objectives: The systematic review aimed to identify research and synthesise findings relating to informal caregivers’ quantitative ratings of quality of life in the context of eating disorders. The primary study aimed to explore in detail the lived experience of adolescent siblings with a brother or sister with Bulimia Nervosa or Eating-Disorder-Not-Otherwise-Specified. Method: Applying a priori inclusion and exclusion criteria to papers identified from a combination of systematic searches of electronic databases and hand searches of other pertinent literature, revealed eight studies to be included for review. Within the qualitative study, eight semi-structured interviews were carried out with siblings (aged 12-19-years) who had a brother or sister with an eating disorder. An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was utilised to analyse interview data. Results: The review highlighted low ratings for aspects of quality of life for informal caregivers of individuals with eating disorders, and some emerging comparative and subgroup differences. Three super-ordinate themes emerged from the qualitative exploration: Sibling Identity, The Vulnerable Social ‘Self’, and Intra- and Inter-Personal Coping. Discussion: Overall the findings provide particular insight into the quality life of informal caregivers and the unique experiences, feelings and various roles of adolescent siblings of people with eating disorders. Implications regarding caregiver support and the needs of siblings specifically are considered. Strengths and limitations, as well as future research possibilities are outlined for both the systematic review and empirical study.

Backgroud: This master thesis is about discovering the concept of ‘Activity- Based Working (ABW)’ and its application to the specific case of IKEA. ABW is a phenomenon in office design and management. From a physical perspective, it discards private offices, desks and desktop computers assigned for individual’s permanent use (Parker, 2016). Instead, the office space is rearranged with various areas tailored for different work tasks, such as hubs for teamwork, meeting areas, cubicles, phone booths, workshop areas and more (Parker, 2016; Ditchburn, 2014). The application of ABW involves in the behavioral environment in addition to the physical one. The behavioral environment is aimed to encourage collaboration, creativity, team work and flexible working (Koetsveld & Kamperman, 2011). The concept of ABW is yet under-researched. The existing literature presents the driving factors of open-plan and partially activity-based workspaces from an organizational perspective. The driving factors and expected outcomes of ABW are steered by the work-related needs by the practitioners and scholars. The needs identified by scholars, which are leading companies to take an action towards ABW are mainly organizational needs. The empirical studies reveal positive and negative outcomes of activity- based way of working, affecting physical and behavioral environments of employees, without building a relationship between the work-related needs and the outcome. In addition, these studies are very limited and they do not cover the reflections of driving factors on employees. Addressing this gap, I want to add to the literature on office space by presenting an empirical case of IKEA, which combines the rationales and experiences of employees shortly after their workspace has been transformed to ABW. My purpose is not to point out the positive or negative experience, but to reveal employees’ interpretation of the new workspace and how they experience it. Research question: How do employees interpret the rationales around the transformation of their office space into ABW and how do they experience the ABW environment? Purpose: To investigate the lived experience of IKEA employees in a physically and behaviorally changing workspace and to problematize the relationship of the rationales and experiences of employees. Method: This research is an explorative case study. The data presented in findings is collected through semi-structured interviews. Thirteen interviews conducted in three different locations of IKEA. Conclusion: The study concluded as the lived experience of employees is not mainly parallel to the rationales of organization towards changing to an activity-based environment. The findings revealed a tension between the driving factors and the lived experience. Driving factors reflect what is planned by the organization; whereas the lived experience do not directly show the impact of driving factors on the outcome. The lived experience brings the attention to the social needs of employees to be considered in workspace.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / People often do not want to hear, talk or read about cancer. Cancer is arguably one of the most feared illnesses and maybe rightly so for it is usually associated with pain, fear,uncertainty, anxiety, long uncomfortable treatments and death. To receive a diagnosis of cancer must be absolutely devastating especially when you are in a developmental stage where you are already battling with issues such as self-esteem, body image, independence and career choices. The current study explored the lived experiences of adolescents who have or had cancer and how this experience impacted on their lives. Six adolescent cancer patients from the cancer unit in a public hospital were interviewed. The sample was purposively drawn and the majority of the interviews were conducted at the homes of the participants. Phenomenology was used both as a theoretical framework as well as a means of analysing data. Using the descriptive phenomenological method employed by Giorgi,four essential themes emerged from the data. The themes included (1) Unexpected change of everyday life means experiencing the unfamiliar (2) Experiencing a changed body, (3) Experiencing the support of significant others and (4) Anticipating a future. The themes were explained in terms of the four existentials of Van Manen which is lived space, lived body, lived other and lived time. The study revealed that although the initial diagnosis of cancer came as a shock to the participants and their families, they were able to deal with the inevitable changes that accompanied the diagnosis mainly as a result of the support they received from family and friends. Their initial fear of death were replaced with an ardent pursue of their dreams for the future.

Magister Curationis - MCur / The Western Cape Province of South Africa has the worst multifactorial crime problem in the country. It has the fastest growing crime rate in many crime categories, such as rape and gun related incidents. The youth in the Cape Flats faces many challenges, such as drug abuse and high incidents of violent attacks. The youth who are exposed to violence are inclined to be violent themselves and are at a higher risk of psychopathology. The experiences of the youth after a violent physical incident were unclear. The purpose of this study is to describe actions for the support of professional nurses at a community health centre to youth victims of physical violence in the Cape Flats. A phenomenological, exploratory, descriptive, contextual design was followed in this study. This study explored and described the lived experiences of youth victims of physical violence in terms of the support they received in a natural setting at a community health centre in the Cape Flats. Purposive sampling was used for the study, and data saturation determined the size of the sample, that was eight participants. Participants were male and female youth members between the ages of 18 and 27 years who had experienced a violent incident and visited a health care centre for follow-up treatment. They were given information sheets that explained the nature of the research project. Individual in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Interviews were conducted in one of the consultation rooms at a community health centre that was quiet and where minimal interruptions occurred. The researcher sought permission from the participants to conduct the interviews and to audio record those interviews. All ethical principles were adhered to in this study; that is confidentiality, anonymity, withdrawal, autonomy, and informed consent. Trust worthiness was ensured during the research process. In cases where participants had experienced psychological distress, they could be referred to a psychologist. However, none of the participants displayed any signs of emotional discomfort during the interviews. Data was analysed using Creswell’s six steps of open coding. All data would be kept under lock and key for five years after the research report has been made available. Main themes that emerged from the data analysis were related to violent incidents that had a negative impact on the participant; participants applied defence mechanisms to deal with their trauma, and participants experienced care and support either negatively or positively. A recommendation of this study is the implementation of an in-service training programme to the nurses who care for the youth after violent physical incidents.

Monitoring the early responses of tumours to treatment is a crucial element in guiding therapy and increasing patient survival. To achieve this, we are using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which can provide detailed physiological information with relatively high temporal and spatial resolution. In combination with the dynamic nuclear polarisation (DNP) technique, high signal-to-noise is obtained, resulting in a powerful tool for in vivo 13C metabolic imaging. However, detection of hyperpolarised substrates is limited to a few seconds due to the exponential decay of the polarisation with the longitudinal relaxation time constant T1. This work aimed to improve the combination of hyperpolarisation and metabolic NMR/ MRI by extending the observation timescale of the technique. Working with quantum mechanical properties of the detected substrates, long lifetimes might be accessible by using the nuclear singlet configuration of two coupled nuclei. The singlet state is immune to intramolecular dipole-dipole relaxation processes, which is one of the main sources of signal decay in MRI. In favourable situations, the singlet relaxation time constant can be much longer than T1, so transfer of the polarisation into the singlet state may allow one to extend the usable time period of the nuclear hyperpolarisation. Here we studied the relaxation of hyperpolarised metabolites, including those found in the TCA cycle, and examined the possibility of extending their observation timescale by storing the polarisation in the long-lived singlet state. The polarisation remains in this state until it is eventually required for imaging. We also investigate how one may track polarised metabolites after injection into a subject due to the transfer of polarisation to the solvent by Overhauser cross-relaxation, so that the 13C polarisation remains untouched until imaging is required. In this way we should be able to interrogate slower metabolic processes than have been examined hitherto using hyperpolarised 13C MRS, and better understand metabolic changes induced in tumours by treatment.

The landscape of cancer care is evolving and as a result nursing care continues to develop and respond to the changing needs of oncology patients and their families. There is a paucity of qualitative research examining the experience of being an oncology nurse on an inpatient unit. Therefore, a qualitative study using an interpretive phenomenological approach has been undertaken to discover the lived experience of being an oncology nurse. In-depth tape recorded interviews has been conducted with six oncology nurses who worked on two adult inpatient oncology units. Van Manen’s (1990) interpretive phenomenological approach has been used to analyze the data by subjecting the transcripts to an analysis both line by line and as a whole. The overarching theme of the interviews is: Investing to Make a Difference. The themes that reflect this overarching theme are: Caring for the Whole Person, Being an Advocate, Walking a Fine Line, and Feeling Like You are Part of Something Good. Oncology nurses provide care for their patients through a holistic lens that further enhances how they come to know their patients. Over time, relationships with patients and families develop and these nurses share that balancing the emotional aspects of their work is key in being able to continue to invest in their work and in these relationships. Their investment is further evident as oncology nurses continuously update their knowledge, for example, of treatment regimes, medication protocols, and as they champion their patients wishes and needs. As nurses develop their own identities as oncology nurses, they in turn enhance the team with their emerging skill and knowledge. These research findings serve to acknowledge the meaning of oncology nurses’ work and inform the profession’s understanding of what it means to be an oncology nurse.

Canada has distinct contemporary faith communities that differ from western and European counterparts. Unfortunately statistics tracking denominational allegiances give little insight into the daily intricacies of collective religious practice. The purpose of this study is to contribute towards filling a gap within scholarly research on the lived culture and experiences of contemporary religious communities within Canada. This study examines the pattern of culture-sharing within a non-denominational faith community as lived and practiced in Ottawa. Through autoethnography, this study asks why members attend and how members view the use of popular culture video clips within church. Individual and collective religious identities are constructed through observations, interviews and material artifacts gleaned through participant observation from January 2011 to December 2011. The results show that within the church, a community of practice is built around shared parenthood and spiritual journey. Members place importance on children, on providing support of all kinds for one another, and on keeping religion relevant. Reasons for attending are echoes of the patterns of culture-sharing: members enjoy the feeling of community, the support, the friendships, the play dates. Participants view popular culture video clips played within church as one aspect of an overall importance placed upon relevance. Mutuality of engagement results in members experiencing their lives as meaningful, it validates their worth through belonging, and it creates personal histories of becoming within the context of a community of practice. Future research recommendations include further study of other contemporary faith communities within Canada, with investigation into the possibility that communities of practice may be what the churched and unchurched are seeking.