The lived experiences of professional orchestral musicians are under-­‐researched by scholars in both music and psychology, who are interested in the world of the professional orchestra and the careers of classical musicians. Framed within a Social Constructionist paradigm, the research in this thesis is concerned with investigating the subjective meanings and individual experiences of a group of ten classical orchestral musicians. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was the methodological framework chosen to design and analyse a set of open-­‐ ended interviews with the musicians, which allowed reflexivity and flexibility throughout the research process. Three superordinate themes were identified from a close reading and IPA analysis of the interview data: ‘Musical Foundations’, ‘Struggle: “The Never Ending Quest”’ and ‘Thank You For The Music’. ‘Musical Foundations’ examines the process of musical identity construction for the ten participants, from its early beginnings in childhood, through adolescence and their time in the professional orchestra. Different facets of musical identity construction are outlined and becoming an orchestral musician is viewed as essentially a social process shaped by social interactions, building on a sense of possessing certain ‘innate’ characteristics. ‘Struggle: ‘The Never Ending Quest”’ illustrates the challenges the musicians encountered within the profession and the impact that being a professional orchestral musician had on other aspects of their lives (e.g. personal and social). The fear and conflict the ten musicians experienced is outlined and how the musicians coped and ‘survived’ within the professional orchestra is demonstrated. In addition, the central importance of the identity of ‘orchestral musician’ within the participants’ lives is illustrated. The last theme, ‘Thank You For The Music’ outlines why the musicians continued within the profession despite the struggles summarised by the previous theme. This chapter highlights the autonomy and control the musicians felt they gained within their orchestras and the physiological and emotional connections they experienced with both the profession and classic music itself. Common to all three superordinate themes is their reported power struggle between the musicians and the orchestra, and between the individual and the collective. Another common issue was how central the identity of ‘orchestral musician’ was for all participants, impacting all aspects of their lives. The professional musicians constructed, negotiated and maintained their musical identities in accordance with both their own expectations and those of the classical music genre itself. The research in this thesis raises awareness of the importance of the orchestral musician identity in the musicians’ lives and how an understanding of this can help gain an insight into other aspects of the participants’ lives. Recommendations are made for further research regarding: the lived experiences of classical music students, investigation of current teaching practices in conservatoires and further exploration of the professional structures within an orchestra.

College women's drinking rates are increasing, yet there is limited research on what is contributing to this phenomenon. In this study, the authors explored a fuller picture of how college women experience and perceive drinking situations. Qualitative data from 2 focus groups of high-risk and low-risk drinkers were analyzed with interpretative phenomenological analysis. Similarities and contrasts are discussed, implications for college counselors are highlighted, and areas for future research are recommended.

Patienter som genomgått kirurgi på grund av övre gastrointestinal (GI) cancer drabbas oftast av olika postoperativa besvär som starkt påverkar patientens livssituation. Syftet: Att undersöka hur patienter som opererats för en misstänkt eller diagnostiserad övre GI-cancer upplever den tidiga postoperativa tiden i hemmet innan första återbesöket. Metod: Kvalitativ metod med tolkande fenomenologisk ansats. Tio patienter intervjuades och den transkriberade texten analyserades enligt Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Resultat: Fem överordnade teman framträdde: mat och ätande, kroppsfunktioner, återhämtning, stöd och oro inför framtiden. Informanterna upplevde att de hade en helt ny livssituation att anpassa sig till. Maten och ätandet var ett stort problem som de hade svårt att hantera, likaså var tröttheten dominerande. De flesta upplevde ett gott stöd från sina anhöriga men de saknade stöd från professionen. Informanterna uttalade önskemål om kontinuerlig kontakt med sjukvården som initieras av densamma. Konklusion: Patienter som opererats på grund av övre GI-cancer befinner sig i en mycket sårbar tid i livet och behovet av stöd är av största betydelse. Riktad information till både patient och anhöriga preoperativt, samt kontinuerlig och strukturerad uppföljning av kontaktsjuksköterska och dietist postoperativt behövs för att kunna förbättra livskvaliteten, öka välbefinnandet och samtidigt höja kvaliteten på vården för dessa patienter.

Socialstyrelsen rekommenderar interpersonell psykoterapi för ungdomar (IPT-A) vid behandling för egentlig depression bland ungdomar. Samtidigt finns det begränsad forskning kring denna metod i en svensk kontext. Denna studie är en del av ett större forskningsprojekt om IPT-A och ämnar utforska ungdomars erfarenhet av att ha genomgått en IPT-A- behandling och hur de ser på sin framtid efter avslutandet av psykoterapin. Data har insamlats från fyra deltagare i åldern femton till sexton år via semistrukturerade intervjuer och har analyserats genom interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Analysen ledde fram till tre huvudteman: det terapeutiska samtalet, ökad agens och externa faktorer. Ungdomarna värdesatte erfarenheten att få tala ut med någon som de upplevde som professionell. Vidare upplevde ungdomarna att det de har fått ut mest av psykoterapin är en mer förståelse för sig själva och en ökad förmåga att förändra sina omständigheter. Ungdomarna tillskrev psykofarmaka olika roller för deras förbättrade psykiska mående samt beskrev skolan och familjen som faktorer som färgade deras upplevelse av psykoterapin. / Socialstyrelsen recommends interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents (IPT-A) as treatment for major depression among adolescents. At the same time, there is limited research on this method in a swedish context. This study is part of a larger research project on IPT-A and aims to explore the adolescents’ experience of having undergone IPT-A treatment and how they see their future post treatment. Data has been collected from four participants aged fifteen to sixteen years via semi-structured interviews and has been analyzed through interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). The analysis led to three main themes: the therapeutic conversation, increased agency and external factors. The adolescents valued the experience of being able to talk to someone they perceived as a professional. Furthermore, the adolescents felt that what they had gained most out of the psychotherapy was a greater understanding of themselves and an increased ability to change their circumstances. The adolescents attributed different roles to psychotropic drugs for their improved psychological well-being and described school and family as factors that affected their experience of psychotherapy.

This study was inspired by my experiences with a Williams syndrome child, which drew my attention to the meaningful experiences that children with Williams syndrome might have with music. The problem of the study can be defined in terms of five aspects. Firstly, individuals diagnosed with Williams syndrome suffer medically, socially and cognitively (Levitin & Bellugi, 1998:358-359) and music seems to be an aspect of their lives that could make things easier for them. Secondly, those suffering from Williams syndrome seemingly struggle to adapt to their social surroundings (Bellugi et al., 1994:5). The third aspect that defines the problem is that families of individuals with Williams syndrome in South Africa do not have sufficient access to educational facilities that are equipped to work with their children. This forces them to home school their children without the ability to educate them optimally. Fourthly, the research problem also stems from the lack of awareness about the lived musical experiences of individuals living Williams syndrome. It becomes clear that heightening awareness of the lived musical experiences of Williams syndrome individuals has not been addressed in research. Lastly, researchers have yet to undertake in-depth qualitative studies on the meaning of musical experience for the learning experiences of those suffering from Williams syndrome. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is to understand the lived musical experiences of individuals living with Williams syndrome in Southern Africa1. Williams syndrome is defined as a rare genetic disorder which presents when around 20 genes are deleted on chromosome 7 at conception (Bellugi et al., 2007:98). This study follows an IPA approach and aims to gain insight into how participants understand their lived musical experiences. The theoretical foundations for IPA are based on “three key areas of philosophical knowledge, namely phenomenology, hermeneutics and idiography” (Smith et al., 2009: 11). For this study data were collected by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with three purposefully selected participants. The interview transcriptions were then analysed separately using ATLAS.ti 7 computer software. After each interview transcript was analysed individually, superordinate themes emerged from a cross-case analysis. The results of the study revealed four superordinate themes regarding the musical experiences of the three Williams syndrome participants: a passion for performing, fostering friendships, lightens the load and dependent on music. The study found that music contributes to the overall well-being of the three participants in a way that allows them to feel accepted by others and to escape the label of being diagnosed Williams syndrome. / MMus (Musicology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This study was inspired by my experiences with a Williams syndrome child, which drew my attention to the meaningful experiences that children with Williams syndrome might have with music. The problem of the study can be defined in terms of five aspects. Firstly, individuals diagnosed with Williams syndrome suffer medically, socially and cognitively (Levitin & Bellugi, 1998:358-359) and music seems to be an aspect of their lives that could make things easier for them. Secondly, those suffering from Williams syndrome seemingly struggle to adapt to their social surroundings (Bellugi et al., 1994:5). The third aspect that defines the problem is that families of individuals with Williams syndrome in South Africa do not have sufficient access to educational facilities that are equipped to work with their children. This forces them to home school their children without the ability to educate them optimally. Fourthly, the research problem also stems from the lack of awareness about the lived musical experiences of individuals living Williams syndrome. It becomes clear that heightening awareness of the lived musical experiences of Williams syndrome individuals has not been addressed in research. Lastly, researchers have yet to undertake in-depth qualitative studies on the meaning of musical experience for the learning experiences of those suffering from Williams syndrome. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is to understand the lived musical experiences of individuals living with Williams syndrome in Southern Africa1. Williams syndrome is defined as a rare genetic disorder which presents when around 20 genes are deleted on chromosome 7 at conception (Bellugi et al., 2007:98). This study follows an IPA approach and aims to gain insight into how participants understand their lived musical experiences. The theoretical foundations for IPA are based on “three key areas of philosophical knowledge, namely phenomenology, hermeneutics and idiography” (Smith et al., 2009: 11). For this study data were collected by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with three purposefully selected participants. The interview transcriptions were then analysed separately using ATLAS.ti 7 computer software. After each interview transcript was analysed individually, superordinate themes emerged from a cross-case analysis. The results of the study revealed four superordinate themes regarding the musical experiences of the three Williams syndrome participants: a passion for performing, fostering friendships, lightens the load and dependent on music. The study found that music contributes to the overall well-being of the three participants in a way that allows them to feel accepted by others and to escape the label of being diagnosed Williams syndrome. / MMus (Musicology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

We live in a multicultural, globalised world, in which counsellors and psychotherapists are increasingly required to work across languages and cultures. Existing literature, however, focuses largely on the needs and experiences of foreign clients, often overlooking the other half of the therapeutic dyad. This thesis tackles the under-researched area of foreign practitioners who work in a host environment. Given the ongoing cultural enrichment of counsellor education in Britain and the demanding character of counselling training in general, this work focuses on one sub-group of this population, namely counsellors in training. To that end, this thesis explores foreign counselling trainees’ experiences of practising in a second language and culture. Underpinned by hermeneutic phenomenology, methodologically this project draws upon the principles of Smith, Flowers and Larkin’s (2009) Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The investigation consists of two empirical studies based on semi-structured interviews with A) non-native speaking and B) native speaking, foreign trainees in their counselling placement. This research design aims to investigate the phenomenon of beginning intercultural counselling from a holistic perspective rather than compare the two groups’ experiences. Overall, findings reveal the numerous ways in which linguistic and cultural difference influence trainees’ experiences of beginning intercultural/interlinguistic practice. The experience of difference appears to mainly impact on trainees’ practitioner identity rather than their perception of practice. Despite the complexities participants encounter, their accounts expose self-efficacy, revealing a position of viewing ‘deficit’ as advantageous. Moreover, findings indicate that the more ‘tangible’ difference is, the more readily trainees acknowledge and discuss its presence in counselling practice. This is largely related to intersubjectivity and encounters with others during training and practice. At the same time, participants’ accounts demonstrate that ‘nativeness/non-nativeness’ is not purely a matter of linguistic mastery, but largely intertwined with familiarity with the host culture. To that end, this thesis proposes that counsellor education ought to address difference, and non-nativeness in particular, from a broader perspective, advance the support provided to foreign trainees and provide opportunities for discussion that will promote all trainees’ cultural awareness.

This phenomenological study explored how physical activity is experienced as a means for resilience as well as the defining characteristics and meaning of that experience. Four participants were interviewed, aged 18 to 21 years; all of which were receiving a university education at the time of the interviews. Physical activity has been connected to various physical, intellectual, psychological, and social benefits during adolescence. The participants in this study described their journeys to achieving wellness despite growing up with adversities collectively deemed as adverse. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was the methodology utilized to investigate the data generated through several semi-structured in depth interviews with the participants. The analyzed data formed the overarching theme of self development in the face of adversity, which was evident throughout the three superordinate themes: channeling energy, nurturing relationships, and challenging the self. The participants explained their passages through adolescence amidst adversities to be ones full of ups and downs, but ultimately progress towards their current accomplishments, goals, dreams, and personal growth. The themes are discussed within the context of the current literature and then followed by recommendations for future research, considerations for professionals, and a conclusion including words of wisdom from the participants.

This project presents an in-depth idiographic study of how a developing Transwoman identity impacts upon parental relationships in childhood and how these relationships impact sense of self and later relationships. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Transwomen and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis applied to the transcripts. Two major themes emerged: the struggle to belong and the complex journey to becoming me. The theme the struggle to belong consists of six super ordinate themes: the disappointing feminine me, trying to belong, the unacceptable me, disconnection from others and self, the struggle in new relationships, and the influence of context. The second major theme, the complex journey to becoming me, comprises two super ordinate themes: the complexity of realising me and reconnection while still being me. The results are mainly discussed using theories of Parent Child Connectedness (PCC) and psychological autonomy. Areas for future research are highlighted. This study provides a valuable insight into the complex experience of negotiating a transsexual childhood which will be useful for professionals working with people with gender identity issues.

Research interrogating the development, implementation and enforcement of reactionary and conservative social and educational movements and policies has enabled us to show the con- tradictions and unequal effects and the disproportionate and disparate impacts on the lives of mi- nority students (Apple, 2009). This research study examined how the Board of Regents, Geor- gia’s higher education governing body, interprets and enforces the “lawful presence” require- ment set forth in USG Policy 4.1.6. The study gave primary consideration to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, who the data show have been systematically excluded from access to certain state colleges and universities without legal cause or justification. The study also examined the perceived impacts of Policy 4.1.6 on DACA students seek- ing admission to the state’s most selective colleges and universities. Data collected from partici- pant interviews of DACA students, along with data gathered through participant observation and documents analysis, were used to create a greater understanding of the impacts of Policy 4.1.6 on both DACA and undocumented students. The study is significant because it traverses matters of current legal import, while also contributing to the growing body of literature concerning access to postsecondary education for undocumented students. Using the methodological approach of critical theory, the study incorporated elements of critical race theory (CRT), critical Latino/a studies (LatCrit), and critical policy analysis in the exploration of the various narratives and counternarratives created by the enforcement of Policy 4.1.6. Using Interpretive Phenomenologi- cal Analysis (IPA) of the interview data, a critical assessment of the perceived impacts of Geor- gia immigration and education policy development and implementation is also provided. Finally, this study revealed the ways in which ‘race-neutral’ educational policies result in discriminatory practices against minorities, specifically undocumented students, the majority of who are Lati- no/a. The knowledge gained from this research gives policymakers on either side of this issue with analysis that can more effectively guide them in the interpretation of federal mandates and conflicting state laws that result in the subordination of significant segments of student popula- tions.