The regular practice of meditation has been shown to reduce stress and increase well-being. However, there is limited information on how meditation feels or is subjectively experienced by the meditator. This naturalistic inquiry uses a phenomenological approach to explore the phenomenon of meditation as lived experience with a group of novice meditators taking part in a 4-week mindfulness meditation program. Nineteen college students were divided into 4 groups. Each group met once a week for a 30-minute guided meditation session followed by a 30-minute focus group during which participants shared their experiences. Individual interviews were conducted at the end of the study. The focus groups and individual interviews were audio recorded. Analysis of the transcribed data revealed 12 key constituents of the experience of meditation occurring at different stages of the meditation process. The key constituents were then placed along a timeline of a typical 30-minute session. A diagrammatic representation was created to illustrate the general "shape" of a meditation session. The variable nature of the meditation experience was also revealed: no two meditation sessions were experienced in the same way by the same meditator, and no two meditators had identical meditation experiences, although there were inherent similarities. A sample of the language novice meditators use to describe their experiences was also documented. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) was administered pre-study and post-study to measure changes in perceived stress over the course of the study. Reductions in perceived stress were measured in 76.5% of the participant group, or 13 of the 17 students who completed the study. These results were significant, t (16)=3.49, p=0.003. The findings in this study show meditation to have the distinctive characteristics of an altered state of consciousness. Meditation may be regarded as a self-induced, adaptive, altered state of consciousness that enables the meditator to relax and effectively reduce levels of perceived stress. These findings provide a new perspective of meditation, particularly with regard to how meditation is subjectively experienced by novice meditators. This information may help to demystify meditation and encourage those considering this healthful practice. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Les patients schizophrènes souffrent de graves déficits de mémoire autobiographique. Cela a un impact direct sur leur identité personnelle et leur statut fonctionnel dans la vie quotidienne. A travers 3 études, nous avons montré que l’ensemble des caractéristiques subjectives du rappel des souvenirs est perturbé chez les patients schizophrènes (distorsion de la perception du temps subjectif, moindre fréquence de la perspective visuelle Acteur). L’altération de ces aspects subjectifs serait liée au manque de spécificité et de détails des souvenirs. Ce sont ces détails qui rendent le rappel des souvenirs vivace. Aussi, nous avons testé l’efficacité d’une méthode qui a montré que les déficits de récupération stratégique de ces détails pouvaient être corrigés. Les patients sont capables d’améliorer le rappel des détails de leurs souvenirs si une aide appropriée leur est fournie. Une thérapie de remédiation cognitive basée sur cette méthode pourrait être proposée aux patients schizophrènes. / Patients with schizophrenia suffer from severe autobiographical memory deficits. These have a significant impact on patients’ personal identity and functional status in daily life. Through three studies, we showed that all the subjective characteristics of autobiographical recall are impaired in patients with schizophrenia (distorted perception of subjective time, memory recall less associated with Field visual perspective). The impairment of these subjective aspects of autobiographical recall was linked to the lack of specificity of memories and low level of details in patients’ memories. It is these details which allow vivid memory recall. Hence, we tested the effectiveness of a method which showed that deficits in the strategic retrieval of memory details could be remediated. Patients are able to improve the recall of their memory details when given the necessary means to do so. A cognitive remediation therapy, based on this method, could be set up with patients with schizophrenia.

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The purpose of this research was to study the lived experience of being a strategic leader, described as the black box of leadership, and to extend the limited research in this field. The researcher utilised the qualitative ethnographic methodology of direct observation, observing 138 discrete critical incidents that made up the lived experience of the five strategic leaders in the sample. The researcher further utilised observation tools from the field of Neuro Linguistic Programming, personal experiences, metaphors, allegories, analogies as well as deep personal introspection to make sense of the lived experience of the five CEOs. The primary research objective was to answer the question: What do CEOs do and how do they do it? A further related objective was to explore how they think about what they do. The research answered these questions by prising open the 'black box' of the lived experience of the strategic leader. The result of the research is the pure leadership spider web model. The pure leadership spider web model breaks down the lived experience of the strategic leader, the content of the black box, into eight dimensions: the pillars that make up the personal leadership philosophy; emotional states of mind brought to bear in meetings; kinaesthetic patterns used during meetings; meeting dynamics; emotional states brought to bear on day-to-day shop-floor engagement; emotional states brought to bear on leadership engagement sessions with other like business leaders; frames of mind governing the day-to-day experiences; and The Magic Language Box. / Business Management and Entr / DBL

Cette recherche aborde la médication psychiatrique à partir du point de vue des usagers. Des entrevues en profondeur ont été réalisées auprès de dix personnes utilisatrices en provenance d’une ressource communautaire et alternative en santé mentale. Les répondants éprouvent ou ont éprouvé des problèmes importants de santé mentale. La majorité des usagers de notre échantillon consomme des neuroleptiques. Les participants sélectionnés ont cheminé avec l’approche de la gestion autonome de la médication en santé mentale (GAM). La GAM constitue un terrain fertile, car l’approche favorise la réflexion critique, la diversité de pratiques autour de la médication psychotrope. Un état des connaissances portant sur l’expérience subjective de la médication est présenté. Les effets de la médication sur les personnes et leur contexte de vie ainsi que les aspects symboliques ont été analysés. Parmi les effets majeurs de la médication, on compte : l’effet de « gel », la grande fatigue, les difficultés d’attribution, le désir d’arrêt et les effets paradoxaux. La médication peut avoir des effets positifs ou négatifs sur l’entourage, le travail, les études ou autres implications sociales. Le rapport des usagers relatif à la médication a évolué vers un usage planifié, modulé et moindre. À cet effet, les dix usagers sont passés d’une phase de « novice » à une « d’expert ». Les résultats de cette recherche indiquent que la notion d’observance au traitement doit être revisitée et la notion d’efficacité élargie. Cette étude qualitative démontre que les versants « intérieurs » de la médication, l’expérience subjective et l’intersubjectif apportent une perspective plutôt rare, mais riche, du médicament en tant qu’objet social. / This research looks at psychiatric medication from the perspective of service users. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 service users from a community-based, alternative mental health resource. The respondents experience or have experienced serious mental health problems. The majority of service users in our sample take neuroleptics. Selected participants followed the mental-health approach known as GAM: Gaining Autonomy & Medication Management. GAM provides a perfect ground, since this approach encourages critical thinking and promotes diverse practices around psychotropic medication. Current knowledge around the subjective experience of medication is presented. The effects of medication on people and their life contexts are analyzed, as well as their symbolic aspects. Among the main effects of medication are: the “anaesthetizing” effect, intense fatigue, difficulties of attribution, the desire to quit and paradoxical effects. Medication can have positive or negative effects on one’s circle of family and friends, work, studies or other social commitments. The relationship between service users and their medication has evolved toward a planned, adapted and reduced use. In this sense, the 10 service users went from a “novice” phase to that of “expert”. Results from this research show that the notion of treatment compliance must be revisited, and the concept of efficiency, broadened. This research shows that the “interior” dimensions of medication, the subjective experience and intersubjectivity provide rare and rich insights into medication as a social object.

Cette recherche aborde la médication psychiatrique à partir du point de vue des usagers. Des entrevues en profondeur ont été réalisées auprès de dix personnes utilisatrices en provenance d’une ressource communautaire et alternative en santé mentale. Les répondants éprouvent ou ont éprouvé des problèmes importants de santé mentale. La majorité des usagers de notre échantillon consomme des neuroleptiques. Les participants sélectionnés ont cheminé avec l’approche de la gestion autonome de la médication en santé mentale (GAM). La GAM constitue un terrain fertile, car l’approche favorise la réflexion critique, la diversité de pratiques autour de la médication psychotrope. Un état des connaissances portant sur l’expérience subjective de la médication est présenté. Les effets de la médication sur les personnes et leur contexte de vie ainsi que les aspects symboliques ont été analysés. Parmi les effets majeurs de la médication, on compte : l’effet de « gel », la grande fatigue, les difficultés d’attribution, le désir d’arrêt et les effets paradoxaux. La médication peut avoir des effets positifs ou négatifs sur l’entourage, le travail, les études ou autres implications sociales. Le rapport des usagers relatif à la médication a évolué vers un usage planifié, modulé et moindre. À cet effet, les dix usagers sont passés d’une phase de « novice » à une « d’expert ». Les résultats de cette recherche indiquent que la notion d’observance au traitement doit être revisitée et la notion d’efficacité élargie. Cette étude qualitative démontre que les versants « intérieurs » de la médication, l’expérience subjective et l’intersubjectif apportent une perspective plutôt rare, mais riche, du médicament en tant qu’objet social. / This research looks at psychiatric medication from the perspective of service users. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 service users from a community-based, alternative mental health resource. The respondents experience or have experienced serious mental health problems. The majority of service users in our sample take neuroleptics. Selected participants followed the mental-health approach known as GAM: Gaining Autonomy & Medication Management. GAM provides a perfect ground, since this approach encourages critical thinking and promotes diverse practices around psychotropic medication. Current knowledge around the subjective experience of medication is presented. The effects of medication on people and their life contexts are analyzed, as well as their symbolic aspects. Among the main effects of medication are: the “anaesthetizing” effect, intense fatigue, difficulties of attribution, the desire to quit and paradoxical effects. Medication can have positive or negative effects on one’s circle of family and friends, work, studies or other social commitments. The relationship between service users and their medication has evolved toward a planned, adapted and reduced use. In this sense, the 10 service users went from a “novice” phase to that of “expert”. Results from this research show that the notion of treatment compliance must be revisited, and the concept of efficiency, broadened. This research shows that the “interior” dimensions of medication, the subjective experience and intersubjectivity provide rare and rich insights into medication as a social object.

The purpose of this research was to study the lived experience of being a strategic leader, described as the black box of leadership, and to extend the limited research in this field. The researcher utilised the qualitative ethnographic methodology of direct observation, observing 138 discrete critical incidents that made up the lived experience of the five strategic leaders in the sample. The researcher further utilised observation tools from the field of Neuro Linguistic Programming, personal experiences, metaphors, allegories, analogies as well as deep personal introspection to make sense of the lived experience of the five CEOs. The primary research objective was to answer the question: What do CEOs do and how do they do it? A further related objective was to explore how they think about what they do. The research answered these questions by prising open the 'black box' of the lived experience of the strategic leader. The result of the research is the pure leadership spider web model. The pure leadership spider web model breaks down the lived experience of the strategic leader, the content of the black box, into eight dimensions: the pillars that make up the personal leadership philosophy; emotional states of mind brought to bear in meetings; kinaesthetic patterns used during meetings; meeting dynamics; emotional states brought to bear on day-to-day shop-floor engagement; emotional states brought to bear on leadership engagement sessions with other like business leaders; frames of mind governing the day-to-day experiences; and The Magic Language Box. / Business Management and Entr / DBL

Syfte: Det råder brist på utvärderingar av belysningsanläggningar, vilket är ett viktigt verktyg för att få förståelse för brukares upplevelse, säkerställa en anläggnings kvalitet och förvärva kunskap till kommande projekt. Inomhusmiljön påverkar i hög grad människans hälsa och välbefinnande, där belysningen är en stor påverkningsfaktor. I samverkan med konsultföretaget WSP har utvärderingar genomförts i två kontorsmiljöer på Domstolsverket i Jönköping. Målet med studien var att undersöka hur en kvalitativ och kvantitativ utvärderingsmetod stod i relation till brukarnas uppfattningar av visuell trivsel. Metod: En kombination av kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder användes för att förstå ljusmiljöns perceptiva och fysikaliska uppbyggnad, samt förstå brukarnas subjektiva uppfattning. Använda metoder var enkät, observation utifrån PERCIFAL och mätning av luminansförhållande. Resultat: Inga tydliga samband återfanns mellan brukarnas uppfattning av visuell trivsel och observation, eller analyserade. Svaga tendenser fanns dock på att i de områden observatörerna upplevde ljusare, var även respondenternas attityd till den visuella miljön mer positiv. Både höga och låga luminansförhållanden resulterade i att respondenterna erhöll en positiv attityd till den visuella miljön och välbefinnande. En positiv inställning till ljusmiljön visade sig gynna den visuella trivseln. Starkast samband fanns mellan inställning till ljusmiljön och upplevelsen av den visuella miljön, där en positiv inställning gynnade upplevelsen av den visuella miljön. Konsekvenser: Studiens slutsats är att varken en mätning eller observation är tillräcklig att användas enskilt för att säkerställa brukarnas visuella trivsel, eller för att beskriva hur ljusmiljön uppfattas av användarna. Därför rekommenderas det att inkludera brukare vid utvärdering, och att utföra mer omfattande utvärderingar för att generera kunskap kring kopplingen mellan mätbart ljus, perceptiv upplevelse och subjektiv uppfattning av visuell trivsel. Om utvärderingar och efterkontroller som även tar hänsyn till brukarnas subjektiva uppfattning prioriteras högre i byggprocessen, kan det säkerställa att ljusmiljöer erhåller ännu högre kvalitet. Begränsningar: Att enkäten utfördes på distans kan ha påverkat resultatet, samt att respondenterna ofta valde det neutrala mittenalternativet. Vissa begrepp kan även ha tolkats på annat sätt än förväntat. Observation och mätning utfördes endast vid ett tillfälle och inte i samtliga zoner där respondenterna var positionerade. Observation och mätning utgick endast från belysningens grundinställningar och bildskärmarna var inte tända vid detta tillfälle. Valet av antalet lokaler och skillnad i användningsfrekvens kan också ha påverkat resultatet. Mätning av luminans visade sig vara mer komplext än vad som förväntats. Intervjuer hade troligtvis givit en djupare förståelse kring det undersökta fenomenet än vad som generades från enkäten. Resultatet är enbart tillämpbart i det undersökta fallet och är därmed inte generellt giltigt. / Purpose: There is a shortage of evaluations of lighting constructions, which are crucial to understand the user, ensure the environmental quality and generate knowledge for future projects. The users’ well-being is affected by the indoor environmental quality, where the lighting has a major impact. In collaboration with the consulting company WSP, evaluations have been executed in two office environments at Domstolsverket in Jönköping. The aim with the study was to investigate how one qualitative and onequantitative evaluation method is related to the users’ perceptions of visual well-being. Method: A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods were used to understand the perceptive and physical construction of the lighting environment, and to understand the users’ subjective experience. Used methods were questionnaire, observation based on PERCIFAL and luminance ratio measuring. Findings: No significant connection were found between the users’ experience of visual well-being and the observation, or between the luminance ratios. There were weak tendencies that those areas of which the observers experienced the brightest, the users experienced the visual environment in a more positive way. Both high and low luminance ratios resulted in a positive attitude to the visual environment and the wellbeing. A positive attitude to the lighting environment favored the visual well-being. The strongest connections were found between the attitude to the lighting environment and the experience of the visual environment, where a positive attitude favored the experience of the visual environment the most.  Implications: Since either the measuring or the observation hadn’t any connection to the users’ subjective experience, the conclusion of the study is that either luminance ratios or a visual evaluation individually are sufficient to ensure the users visual wellbeingor to describe how the lighting environment is experienced by the users.Therefore, it is recommended to include users in evaluations, and to execute more comprehensive evaluations to generate more knowledge regarding the connection between measurable light and perceptive and subjective experience of visual wellbeing. If this is included in the process, it might increase the quality of the lighting environment. Limitations: The questionnaire was responded to at a distance and the respondents tended to choose the neutral central option and those factors might have affected the result. Some terms might also have been interpreted in another way than expected. The observation and the measuring were only executed once, and not in all the areas where the respondents were positioned. While measuring and observing, only the most used light setting was used and the computer screens where not on. Luminance measuring was more complex than expected. Interviews might have given a deeper understanding about the investigated phenomenon than what was generated from the questionnaire.The result is only applicable in this specific case and therefore not universal.