Mindfulnessbaserad stressreduktion och mindfulnessbaserad kognitiv terapi är två program som har god evidens vid ett flertal psykiska och fysiska tillstånd. Den övervägande delen av tidigare forskning är dock kvantitativ. Syftet med denna studie var att genom kvalitativ metod undersöka vilka förändringar människor upplever till följd av programmen. Sju tidigare deltagare intervjuades och resultatet bearbetades genom tematisk analys. Resultatet visade att deltagarna upplevde ett ökat psykiskt välmående och en större acceptans för sig själva och sina upplevelser. De beskrev en ökad förmåga till decentrering från tankar och känslor och minskad tendens att reagera automatiskt vid obehag. Många upplevde ökad affekttolerans och en stärkt känsla av agentskap. MBKT-deltagarna beskrev att de lättare kunde släppa taget om grubblerier och ältande. Flera deltagare beskrev att de börjat prioritera egna behov mer och sänka kraven på sig själva. Flera upplevde minskad känslighet för social bedömning och ökad förmåga till gränssättning och självhävdelse i relationer. Många beskrev en minskad känslomässig reaktivitet och ökad mentaliseringsförmåga i påfrestande interpersonella situationer. Vissa upplevde ökad medkänsla med sig själva och andra. Hos en del framkom behov av uppföljning efter avslutat program. Fynden diskuteras med hänsyn till studiens begränsningar och i relation till teori, tidigare studier och möjlig framtida forskning.

Sometimes games that belong to the same genre achieve different levels of success among the playerbase of the genre. As an example, of two space RTS games Homeworld (released in 1999) and O.R.B. (releasedin 2002), which feature a similar setting and similar gameplay mechanics, Homeworld has beenmore successful. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons for the different popularityof the two games, using game reviews as the primary source of data to learn about the strengths andthe weaknesses of the two games. Thematic analysis has been applied to a total of 27 game reviewsof space RTS games Homeworld and O.R.B. Codes describing various strong and weak aspects of bothgames have been extracted from the texts. The codes have been grouped into various categories traditionallydescribed in game reviews, such as the story line, the UI, the graphics, etc. Using these codesas a basis, a number of explanations have been suggested as to why the game Homeworld has beenmore successful than the game O.R.B. The main reasons discovered are that Homeworld was releasedseveral years before its competitor and that some of important game features of O.R.B. suffered frompoorer technical execution in comparison to equivalent features in Homeworld.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a worldwide economic effect, and it seems to have produced a challenging economic climate for startups to work in. Thus, the aim of this degree project is to investigate how startups survived the financial and organizational crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and what was the role of their employees during the crisis. The objective is to look at how early-stage startups in Greece are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, whether they can utilize crisis management models, and how the crisis encourages creative destruction. Schumpeterian innovation theory has been merged with crisis management theories to achieve this goal. The thesis employs a qualitative methodology and uses a multiple case study design where cases are the individual startups interviewed. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with a top-management representative of each company.  The results indicate that the startups under discussion are experiencing significant changes. At the beginning of the crisis, they faced a threatening disengagement and demotivation of their employees, which they managed to overcome by focusing on their wellbeing, coaching them, and guiding them through the crisis. The Caplanian model was utilized to analyze their approach. Based on the companies’ core competencies, they are actively pivoting to emerging business models and new markets. These companies are discovering new possibilities and innovating in a number of areas, following both the Schumpeterian evolutionary theories of creative destruction and creative accumulation. Overall, the findings suggest that in responding to the crisis, startups modified and strengthened their strategies. The shift in customer purchasing behavior was a major reason why businesses needed to develop their strategies. The modified consumer behavior was the outcome of actions taken by the Greek government and the Public Health Agency to avoid the spread of the virus such as social distancing, travel bans, and closed borders.

This study seeks to explore anorexia nervosa as experienced within the South African coloured community in the specific. It represents an examination of themes within the participants’ depictions, discovering those themes that concur with existent literature, as well as discerning novel themes within the target group. Literature proves to yield varied results with regard to anorexia as presented in diverse cultures. Sufficient awareness is lacking within the South African context, where a scarcity of available literature that explores the experiences of the coloured anorexic individual necessitates the need for the current study. The contributing factors are viewed to involve societal, cultural, and familial aspects, all of which are situated within a systemic frame of reference. Systems theory provides the foundation within which these factors are explored, aiming to provide the reader with in-depth knowledge as to the functioning of the anorectic patient. It should be noted that these factors are interconnected, influencing each other in a circular manner. Attention is awarded to not only larger systems of societal and cultural influences, but also serves to encompass the functioning of the anorectic within the familial system. The reciprocity that exists within and between sub-systems is investigated, with the focus being the interrelatedness between members. Recursive feedback and associated processes are examined as they relate to the development and maintenance of anorexia. A qualitative research design was applied, where semi-structured interviews served as the chosen data collection strategy. Interviews were conducted at the hospital where they received treatment, and aimed to extract the meanings inherent in the participants’ experiences. A limited availability of diagnosed coloured anorexic individuals resulted in two willing participants partaking in the study. Thematic networks enabled the researcher to explore their representations in depth, leading to the subsequent organising of themes for further analysis. Two global themes emerged upon examination, the first of which was identified as “familial impact and patterns”, consisting of organising themes of relational positioning and interactional processes. Organising themes of expectations and internal emotional states constitute the second global theme of “control”. These themes are supported by a variety of basic themes, all of which serve to enhance the understanding of the organising themes, contributing to the respective global themes. Extensive exploration of the discovered themes followed, with the investigation proceeding within a systems theory framework. A conclusive discussion serves the purpose of bringing the exploration to a close. Relevant literature is incorporated into the discussion, providing the reader with an integrated understanding of the findings of the study within the broader field of anorexia nervosa. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

Studiens syfte var att undersöka terapeuters erfarenheter av att arbeta med hundassisterad terapi med kvalitativ metod. Studien bygger på intervjuer med sex yrkesutövare som inkluderade terapihund i sitt klientarbete. Datainsamlingen bearbetades med en tematisk analys vilken gav fyra huvudteman. Kontextuella terapifaktorer, Terapiprocess, Påverkan på terapeutroll och verksamhet och Terapihunden som terapeutisk agent. Resultatet visar att terapihund kan användas som en icke-verbal terapiingrediens, den erbjuder en brygga vid terapialliansbyggande och den inkluderar beröring. Terapeuterna uppfattas ha ett utvidgat ansvar som terapihundförare, och de förefaller ta hand om terapihundarna med stor lyhördhet, vilket ger intrycket att djurens välfärd kan påverkas positivt. Terapihundarna väljs ut och tränas utifrån lämplighet och deras beteenden bygger på väl utvecklade sinnen och ett eget känsloregister. I analysen tolkas terapirelationen som inte bara dyadisk utan också triadisk. I diskussionen konceptualiseras terapihunden från en tvåpersonspsykologisk position. Denna modell föreslår att terapihunden bör erkännas som ett tredje subjekt i den terapeutiska triaden med sin egen subjektivitet, snarare än som endast ett verktyg som kan användas i en terapimetod. Resultatet kopplas till tidigare forskning och framtida forskningsområden diskuteras. / The aim of this study was to investigate how therapists experience their use of dog-assisted therapy with qualitative method. The study is built on interviews with six professionals who included therapy dogs in their work with clients. The empirical data was analyzed thematically and four main themes emerged: Contextual therapy factors, Therapy process, Impact on the therapist role and on the working place and The therapy dog as a therapeutic agent. The results showed that therapy dogs can be utilized as a non-verbal ingredience and as a bridge building alliance and they can offer tactile stimulation. The therapists are perceived to have an expanded responsibility as dog instructors and they seem to care for their therapy dogs with high sensitivity, which gives the impression that it may affect the animals’ welfare positively. The therapy dogs are selected and trained by criteria of suitability and their behaviours are built on their perceptual abilitys and their own emotional range. In the analysis the therapeutic relationship is interpreted as not only dyadic but also triadic. In the discussion the therapy dog is conceptualized from a two-person psychological position. Such a model proposes that the therapy dog should be recognized as a third subject in the therapeutic triad with its’ own subjectivity, rather than only as a tool to be used in a therapeutic method. The findings of the study are related to previous research and future topics of research are discussed.

Background: Cosmesis has been found to have an impact on prosthesis users' body image. Therefore the satisfaction of the cosmesis plays an essential role in a prosthesis user perception of themselves. Most cosmeses on the market are natural-looking, although more futuristic options are coming to the market. Most of the previous evidence has been conducted using quantitative methods. There is a lack of research investigating the experiences of cosmesis in transtibial prosthesis users through qualitative methods. This is expected to elucidate potentially undiscovered areas and factors surrounding patient satisfaction.  Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to explore transtibial prosthesis user's satisfaction with the appearance of their cosmesis and gain a deeper understanding of their experiences regarding cosmeses.  Methods: The method in this thesis is a qualitative phenomenology approach with an interpretivist view. The experiences of 5 male transtibial users regarding their cosmesis and satisfaction towards it were explored. This was done by having in-depth semi-structured interviews that were analyzed with thematic analysis.  Results: The results five main themes arrived: Satisfaction, Natural-looking cosmesis, Function, Difficulties with the material, and Awareness. The results of these themes showed that the participants have different experiences regarding cosmesis.  Conclusion: This thesis found a variation regarding satisfaction of the appearance among unilateral transtibial prosthesis users. Similarities in satisfaction and experience were found in the respective age groups of the participants. However, due to saturation not being fully reached, there should be further investigations. / Bakgrund: Kosmetik har visat sig påverka protesanvändarnas kroppsuppfattning. Därför spelar tillfredsställelsen av kosmetiken en viktig roll i en protesanvändares mentala hälsa och kroppsuppfattning. Huvuddelen av den kosmetik som finns på marknaden har ett mer naturligt utseende, även om mer futuristiska alternativ har blivit mer vanliga på marknaden. De flesta av de tidigare redovisade studierna har genomförts med hjälp av kvantitativa forskningsmetoder. Det saknas ännu forskning som undersöker erfarenheterna när det gäller kosmetik hos transtibialt amputerade protesanvändare utförda med kvalitativa metoder. Studien förväntas belysa potentiellt oupptäckta områden och faktorer kring patientnöjdhet. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att utforska transtibialt amputerade protesanvändares tillfredsställelse med utseendet på deras kosmetik och få en djupare förståelse för deras erfarenheter av kosmetik. Metoder: I denna avhandling är ett kvalitativt fenomenologiskt tillvägagångssätt med ett interpretivistiskt förhållningssätt. Erfarenheter från 5 manliga transtibialt amputerade protesanvändare med avseende på proteskosmetik och deras tillfredsställelse med användandet kosmetik undersöktes. Detta genomfördes genom att ha djupgående halvstrukturerade intervjuer som analyserades med ett tematiskt förhållningssätt. Resultat: I resultaten framkom i huvudsak 5 huvudtema: Tillfredsställelse, kosmetik med naturligt utseende, funktion, svårigheter med material och medvetenhet. Resultaten av dessa teman visade att deltagarna har stora variationer när det gäller erfarenheter och användandet av kosmetik. Slutsats: Denna studie fann en betydande variation när det gäller tillfredsställelse av utseendet bland ensidiga användare av transtibiala proteser. Likheter inom tillfredsställelse och erfarenhet kunde noteras i deltagarnas respektive åldersgrupper. På grund av att mättnad (saturation) inte uppnåddes helt finns ett forsatt behov av ytterligare studier inom området.

The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate the themes and motives that have been obtained on the basis of the analysis and interpretation of the biographical narrative with the members of the Czechoslovak People's Army. Acquired Themes do not only provide a basic insight into everyday life of the soldiers before 1989, but it partly introduces even some negotiation and interpretation of narrators, the possible directions of further questioning, the soldiers used abbreviations and slang words captured in the interviews. In the future most of the topics could be supplemented separately or together , with other sources, to help initiate independent studies related to the force components of the Czech society in the period of normalization and transformation, so in this way the work also represents a kind of elementary "catalogue" that can be used by other students or researchers interested in the issue of the monitored period and profession.

UNIVERZITA KARLOVA V PRAZE FAKULTA HUMANITNÍCH STUDIÍ Katedra genderových studií Bc. Monika Skopalová Liga otevřených mužů: případová studie Diplomová práce Vedoucí práce: Ing. Petr Pavlík, Ph.D. Praha 2013 ABSTRACT This work is an attempt to contribute to the development of men's studies as a relevant academic field, which still does not have sufficient background in the Czech Republic. It captures work of the most visible so-called men's organization in CR - the League of Open Men (LOM). Qualitative content analysis based on feminist tradition includes data collected from interviews and thematic articles of LOM's representatives, and especially data from my own interview with Václav Šneberger, one of the organization's founders. The aim of analysis was to clarify ideological basis, values and theoretical concepts which LOM implicitly uses, to explore its relationship to feminist movement and so-called women's organizations, and also to find out its understanding of masculinity/ies and the way in which LOM discursively works with this concept of gender. The analysis revealed that although LOM presented itself as non-academic and non-gender organization which has no ideologies, theoretical basis or definitions and instructions in the "right manhood", it is more a purposeful strategy concealing the fact that...

Le Grand Tintamarre Acadien est célébré depuis plus de 40 ans par les Acadiens. Il s’agit d’un événement politisé se voulant un véhicule identitaire, où les participants déambulent dans les rues en faisant le plus de bruit possible grâce à l’utilisation d’objets du quotidien comme des casseroles et des cuillères de bois. Le bruit, pourtant souvent perçu comme nuisance dans l’opinion publique, semble contribuer à donner du sens à l’événement. En effectuant une analyse thématique d’articles de quatre journaux importants en Acadie sur une période de cinq ans, ce mémoire explore dans quelle mesure le bruit créé lors du Grand Tintamarre offre un cadre d’action collective, permettant aux participants d’exprimer leur identité au sein de l’espace public, transformant les spectateurs en citoyens engagés, le temps d’une déambulation en ville. Le Grand Tintamarre acadien offre ainsi un terrain de recherche intéressant pour comprendre l’usage du bruit lors d’une manifestation publique. / The Grand Acadian Tintamarre has been celebrated for over 40 years by Acadians. It is a politicized event intended to be a cacophonous identity vehicle, during which participants roam the streets making as much noise as possible through the use of everyday objects such as pots and wooden spoons. The noise, although perceived as a nuisance in public opinion, seems to help give meaning to the event. By carrying out a thematic analysis of articles from four major newspapers in Acadia over a period of five years, this thesis will attempt to elucidate whether the noise created during the Grand Tintamarre can offer a framework for collective action, powerful and unique, allowing participants to express their identity, to claim public space, thereby transforming spectators into committed activists, if only for the duration of the demonstration. The Grand Acadian Tintamarre thus offers an interesting field of research in order to understand the use of noise during a public event.

Med utgångspunkt i kändisars förmedlade erfarenheter av egenupplevd psykisk ohälsa i podcasts syftar denna studie till att belysa hur kändisar pratar om sin psykiska ohälsa i sociala medier. Den här studien baseras på material från 10 intervjuer med kändisar och har inhämtats från sex olika podcasts: Ångestpodden, Framgångspodden, Söndagsintervjun i P1, Helt ärligt med Sebastian Stakset, Värvet och Talk to me. Metoden som använts för att analysera materialet är en tematisk analys vilket har resulterat i att två teman har identifierats: ”Att hjälpa andra” och ”Att undanhålla och distansera”. Det första temat handlar om att kändisarna genom att dela med sig av sina erfarenheter av sin psykiska ohälsa vill hjälpa andra i liknande situation. Det andra temat handlar om att kändisarna i sättet de uttrycker sig i viss mån undanhåller och på olika sätt distanserar sig från sin psykiska ohälsa. Tillsammans tydliggör dessa teman en dubbelhet, trots att kändisarna uttrycker att de vill hjälpa andra framkommer det samtidigt tendenser att undanhålla och distansera sig från sin ohälsa. Den tematiska analysen kommer sedan analyseras med begrepp från Erving Goffmans stigmateori. Denna studie bidrar till en ökad medvetenhet om vilken påverkan media har vid framställande av psykisk ohälsa och kan ge en ökad förståelse för hur ett stigmatiserat fenomen hanteras av de människor som utsätts för det. / Based on celebrities’ mediated experiences of self-perceived mental illness in podcasts, this study aims to shed light on how celebrities talk about their mental illness on social media. This study is based on material from 10 interviews with celebrities and has been obtained from six different podcasts: Ångestpodden, Framgångspodden, Söndagsintervjun i P1, Helt ärligt med Sebastian Stakset, Värvet and Talk to me. The method used to analyse the material is a thematic analysis, which has resulted in two themes being identified: “Helping others” and “Withhold and distancing”. The first theme is about the celebrities wanting to help others in a similar situation by sharing their experiences of their mental illness. The second theme is about the celebrities in the way they express themselves to some extent withholding and in different ways distancing themselves from their mental illness. Together, these themes clarify a duality, despite the fact that celebrities express that they want to help others, there are tendencies to withhold and distance themselves from their ill health. The thematic analysis will then be analysed with concepts from Erving Goffman’s stigma theory. This study contributes to an increased awareness of the impact of the media in the representation of mental illness and can provide an increased understanding of how a stigmatized phenomenon is handled by the people who are exposed to it.