Under-utilization, premature termination, and lack of between-session engagement have been discussed in the couple therapy literature in terms of how they negatively impact the course and outcome of couple therapy. The goal of the present research was to investigate the discourses that people use when (1) constructing meaning about the act of engaging in couple therapy; (2) constructing what constitutes a positive couple therapy experience; and (3) constructing the influence of couple therapy on daily living. Discourse analysis, with a particular focus on interpretative repertoires (Potter & Wetherell, 1987), was used as the methodology for the three studies reported here. The data included eight semi-structured interviews with individuals who had participated in couple therapy and postings from three different online discussion forums. In study one, two interpretative repertoires -- the “relationship breakdown” repertoire and the “commitment” repertoire -- were constructed from the interview data. The premise of these repertoires is that couples seek couple therapy when they believe their relationship is broken and when they are committed to remaining in the relationship and resolving the problems. I argue that these interpretative repertoires can help us understand the decision or reluctance to enter couple therapy. In study two, one interpretative repertoire -- “the shoe must fit” repertoire -- was constructed from the interview and online data. This repertoire suggests that a particular “fit” between the couple and their therapist needs to be present in order for the couple to have a positive therapy experience. I argue that this interpretative repertoire facilitates understanding the decision to remain in or drop out of couple therapy. In study three, the interpretative repertoire “therapy life is not real life” was constructed from the interview data. According to this repertoire, couple therapy runs alongside daily life, but rarely influences it significantly. In this study, I argue that the “therapy life is not real life” repertoire helps us to better understand between-session engagement in couple therapy. Conclusions and implications for therapists and researchers are discussed.

Falling by older people is of significant global concern as the population ages, because of subsequent injury, disability, admission to long-term care and mortality. Older people experiencing dementia are twice as likely to fall with more severe consequences. Unsurprisingly, carer-burden increases when a care-recipient falls. Older people are rarely asked about their falls experiences and those with dementia less so. The studies presented in this thesis explore the experiences of falling of older people with dementia and memory problems, and their carers. The studies were informed by contextualism and the primary study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the experiences of nine older people with dementia and their 10 carers, using one-to-one and joint interviews, and three focus groups with nine older people experiencing memory problems and 12 carers from a branch of the Alzheimer’s society. Analysis of the data considered the falls experience itself and the perceived consequences of falls within two higher level themes: ‘Falling as a malevolent force’ as two themes - ‘Going back to the experience’, ‘Reactions, responses and coming to terms with events’, and ‘Falling as the manifestation of dementia’ as two themes - ‘Self, identity and falling’, ‘The caring relationship’. The secondary study elaborated upon primary study data using an inductive interpretative approach unaligned to any tradition. Older people recently diagnosed with dementia and carers from another Alzheimer’s Society branch participated in two focus groups. Participants discussed stimulus cards with quotations from primary study participants. Thematic analysis suggested four major themes: Making sense of falls, The personal and social significance of falling, Falling, self and identity and Struggling to care. The findings demonstrate how falling and dementia are enmeshed and embodied experiences for participants. Spouse-carers’ discussion of their own falls emphasise the need for joint assessment and intervention to reduce carerburden and preserve couplehood.

To examine possible links between biophilia (love for living systems) and outdoor adventure training, this study explored various emotional relationships participants developed during Hooksum Outdoor School on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Drawing from phenomenological psychology, ecopsychology, outdoor adventure training, and biophilia literature, I sought to answer the questions (1) if, and how, individuals develop emotional relationships with coastal environments; (2) what role the ocean plays in emotional change; (3) how individuals act in response to their relationships with the coast. Analysis included grouping themes from observation notes, questionnaires, and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of individual interviews. A focus was bringing the researcher into participants' lifeworlds as they experienced the program. Four individual participant stories demonstrate active relationship-building (1) within participants' inner selves; (2) between each other; (3) with the coastal environment. Findings contribute to recommendations for future research, providing insight into how program design can effectively address the biophilia tendency.

Psychological research into women’s embodied experience in pregnancy and the first year after birth is contradictory and mainly quantitative in nature. In response to these inconsistencies and the paucity of qualitative research in this area, this study investigated the embodied experience of women during pregnancy and the postpartum year. The study was conducted in Lithuania and the UK, using semi-structured interviews and drawings; the data were analysed using the qualitative methodology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Six women participated, all primigravidae, aged 26-35. Each woman was seen five times; thrice during pregnancy and twice after her baby was born. A rich description of the women’s embodied experience emerged from the accounts, supporting the notion of bodily experience in pregnancy being dynamic, complex and firmly embedded in their life-world. Due to limitations of size with regard to the PhD thesis, only the results of one consecutive case and four superordinate themes which emerged from the interviews with all of the women in the second trimester of pregnancy viz: the uncontrollable body, the body as my teacher, uncertainty about inner and outer boundaries and embodied identity in the making, were presented and discussed. The study provides insights into this lived experience that may be useful in psychological theory and in practice when working with women at this important transitional life stage. / Psichologijoje įkūnytas moterų patyrimas nėštumo metu ir pirmaisiais metais po gimdymo vis dar retai tyrinėjamas, o esantys tyrimai yra dažniausiai kiekybiniai, atskleidžiantys prieštaraujančius rezultatus. Šiame tyrime buvo siekiama identifikuoti, aprašyti ir struktūruoti tai, kaip savo įkūnytą nėštumo ir pogimdyminio periodo patyrimą supranta ir įprasmina pačios pirmą kartą besilaukiančios moterys. Tyrimas atliktas Lietuvoje ir Didžiojoje Britanijoje, taikant giluminius pusiau struktūruotus interviu ir piešinius. Tekstai analizuoti naudojant kokybinį interpretacinės fenomenologinės analizės metodą. Tyrime dalyvavo šešios 26–35 metų amžiaus moterys. Su kiekviena moterimi buvo susitikta penkis kartus: tris kartus joms besilaukiant ir du kartus jau gimus vaikui. Gautas labai turtingas moterų įkūnyto patyrimo aprašymas, leidžiantis galvoti apie kūno patyrimą nėštumo metu kaip apie dinamišką, sudėtingą ir stipriai jų gyvenime įsišaknijusį fenomeną. Disertacijoje išsamiai pristatomas ir aptariamas vienas nuoseklus motinystės atvejis ir keturios metatemos (besilaukiančio kūno nekontroliuojamumas, kūnas – mano mokytojas, kūno vidinių ir išorinių ribų neaiškumas, besiformuojantis kūniškas identitetas), kurios buvo suformuluotos atlikus visų moterų interviu analizes antrajame jų nėštumo trimestre. Tyrimas suteikia galimybę pamatyti, kaip kasdienybėje yra patiriamas šis fenomenas, praturtindamas teorinę ir praktinę šio reiškinio sampratą.

Psichologijoje įkūnytas moterų patyrimas nėštumo metu ir pirmaisiais metais po gimdymo vis dar retai tyrinėjamas, o esantys tyrimai yra dažniausiai kiekybiniai, atskleidžiantys prieštaraujančius rezultatus. Šiame tyrime buvo siekiama identifikuoti, aprašyti ir struktūruoti tai, kaip savo įkūnytą nėštumo ir pogimdyminio periodo patyrimą supranta ir įprasmina pačios pirmą kartą besilaukiančios moterys. Tyrimas atliktas Lietuvoje ir Didžiojoje Britanijoje, taikant giluminius pusiau struktūruotus interviu ir piešinius. Tekstai analizuoti naudojant kokybinį interpretacinės fenomenologinės analizės metodą. Tyrime dalyvavo šešios 26–35 metų amžiaus moterys. Su kiekviena moterimi buvo susitikta penkis kartus: tris kartus joms besilaukiant ir du kartus jau gimus vaikui. Gautas labai turtingas moterų įkūnyto patyrimo aprašymas, leidžiantis galvoti apie kūno patyrimą nėštumo metu kaip apie dinamišką, sudėtingą ir stipriai jų gyvenime įsišaknijusį fenomeną. Disertacijoje išsamiai pristatomas ir aptariamas vienas nuoseklus motinystės atvejis ir keturios metatemos (besilaukiančio kūno nekontroliuojamumas, kūnas – mano mokytojas, kūno vidinių ir išorinių ribų neaiškumas, besiformuojantis kūniškas identitetas), kurios buvo suformuluotos atlikus visų moterų interviu analizes antrajame jų nėštumo trimestre. Tyrimas suteikia galimybę pamatyti, kaip kasdienybėje yra patiriamas šis fenomenas, praturtindamas teorinę ir praktinę šio reiškinio sampratą. / Psychological research into women’s embodied experience in pregnancy and the first year after birth is contradictory and mainly quantitative in nature. In response to these inconsistencies and the paucity of qualitative research in this area, this study investigated the embodied experience of women during pregnancy and the postpartum year. The study was conducted in Lithuania and the UK, using semi-structured interviews and drawings; the data were analysed using the qualitative methodology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Six women participated, all primigravidae, aged 26-35. Each woman was seen five times; thrice during pregnancy and twice after her baby was born. A rich description of the women’s embodied experience emerged from the accounts, supporting the notion of bodily experience in pregnancy being dynamic, complex and firmly embedded in their life-world. Due to limitations of size with regard to the PhD thesis, only the results of one consecutive case and four superordinate themes which emerged from the interviews with all of the women in the second trimester of pregnancy viz: the uncontrollable body, the body as my teacher, uncertainty about inner and outer boundaries and embodied identity in the making, were presented and discussed. The study provides insights into this lived experience that may be useful in psychological theory and in practice when working with women at this important transitional life stage.

In what ways and under what circumstances can a movie be a resource for individuals and their thoughts about existential matters? This central research question has been investigated using a both quantitative and qualitative approach. First, a questionnaire was distributed amongst 179 Swedish students to provide a preliminary overview of film habits. The questionnaire was also used as a tool for selecting respondents to individual interviews. Second, thirteen interviews were conducted, with viewers choosing their favourite movie of all time. In the study socio-cognitive theory and a schema-based theoretical tool is adopted to analyze how different viewers make use of movies as cultural products in an interplay between culture and cognition in three contexts; a socio-historic process, a socio-cultural interaction with the world and inner psychological processes. Summarizing the interviews some existential matters dominated. Matters of immanent orientation were in the foreground. Transcendental questions received much less attention. Summarizing the schema-based theoretical question, assessing which cognitive schema structures the narratives were processed through, the study found an emphasis on a combination of two main cognitive structures, person schema and self schema. Detailed person schematic cognitive processes about fictitious characters on the screen and their role model behaviour were combined by the respondents with dynamic cross-references to detailed self schematic introspections about their own characteristics, related to existential matters at some very specific moments in their lives. The viewers in the study seem to be inspired by movies as a mediated cultural resource, promoting the development of a personal moral framework with references to values deeply fostered by a humanistic tradition. It is argued that these findings support theories discussing individualised meaning making, developing ‘self-expression values’ and ‘altruistic individualism’ in contemporary western society.

The focus of this thesis is how identities are construed in adult education. According to the theoretical framework inspiring the study, identities are viewed as discursive constructions that are negotiated in social arenas. Hence, identities are considered versatile, plural and contradictory. The study has an ethnographic case study design and the field work was conducted 1998–2001. Various sources of data collection, such as interviews and participant observations were utilised. Every day practice at three different institutions of adult education in the case study municipality ”Nystad” were studied: Folk high school, Komvux and Liber Hermods flexgymnasium. Participants (27) were studied extensively, and a follow-up containing biographical interviews with the participants was also done 18 months after the main study. The result will show how the discourse of life long learning produce different technologies applying to different institutions of adult education defining what counts as knowledge, the relationships between actors and the demands participants will be posed with. Although the institutions of education are different, there are also similarities. The differences, however, are important in the recruitment of participants. The requirements of the education as to who you are supposed to be as a participant in adult education show a similar pattern, irrespective of the institution of education; the student with an interest in studying, prone to change, independent and well-behaved. Different strategies are detected when focusing the staging of participants’ identities, adaptive and defiant. An adaptive strategy means the adults meet the requirements of the education and a defiant strategy that they resist. The strategies may be applied by one and the same participant depending on the situation. Biographies show how different interpretative repertoires are used to stage different identities. The participants use four repertoires relevant to the subject: that of making a living, learning, earning credits and self realization. The repertoires applicable to the forms of teaching are teacher oriented, selfdirected and conversational. The repertoires used in relation to the teachers in adult education are expert, person, supervisor and administrator. The repertoires used by the adults in order to describe other participants are adult student, study mate and friend. The result of the study inspires the discussion of adult education in terms of social inclusion and exclusion.

In the past fourteen years, South African business has experienced a period of significant transformation. The absorption of previously disadvantaged employees into higher skilled jobs is being nudged by measures such as employment equity legislation and affirmative action. Even though previously excluded racial and ethnic groups are being empowered and incorporated into management structures, overall progress has been slow. The research organisation seems to be a microcosm of the macro-environment with regard to the advancement of previously disadvantaged employees, consisting primarily of white employees (66%). Designated employees are represented in much smaller numbers: Indian (15%), African (15%) and Coloured (4%).The objective of this research was to gain an understanding of how designated employees experience working in a predominantly white business unit. Applying a qualitative research design, anecdote circles were used to facilitate the informal sharing of experiences amongst peers. Twelve individuals partook in the anecdote circles and 59 anecdotes were gathered. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to extract themes. Thirty-two themes were identified in the anecdotes that were grouped into seven super-ordinate themes: A debilitating organisational culture; A constructive work environment; Poor orientation and integration into the business unit; Demanding consultant role; Dissatisfaction with careers: Difficulty in handling the typical demanding client profile and Involved management style. Results indicate that designated employees find the organisational culture restrictive due to the bureaucratic nature of the organisation, the insensitivity towards cultural differences, the impersonal atmosphere in the organisation; the excessive use of acronyms; poor communication and ineffective support structures. In contrast they have a positive view of their work environment which is seen as flexible, with plenty opportunities for development and high standards of work. Good teamwork exists with designated employees receiving a lot of support from their project team members. Results show that designated employees experience poor orientation in the business unit, which results in a lack of knowledge regarding processes, tools, and ideal behaviour. They are left to find this information out for themselves and this leads to poor integration into the business unit. Designated employees find their role as consultant very demanding. They experience a lot of pressure on projects and are concerned about others' impression of them. They feel empowered in certain areas of their work life and enjoy taking responsibility for their work and development. Designated employees are dissatisfied with the direction that their careers are taking and feel frustrated by the lack of career advancement. They do not believe their managers have the power to address their concerns regarding their career. Furthermore they equate career progression with financial gain and this adds to their frustration regarding their careers. Designated employees are struggling to deal with difficult and demanding clients who neglect responsibilities and can be unreasonable. They admit that they are not sure how to handle these clients. Designated employees are satisfied with the level of interaction with their managers and the recognition they receive when a job is well done. Some indicate that they would prefer more guidance and support from their managers and they stress the importance of performance management and providing regular feedback. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

In the past fourteen years, South African business has experienced a period of significant transformation. The absorption of previously disadvantaged employees into higher skilled jobs is being nudged by measures such as employment equity legislation and affirmative action. Even though previously excluded racial and ethnic groups are being empowered and incorporated into management structures, overall progress has been slow. The research organisation seems to be a microcosm of the macro-environment with regard to the advancement of previously disadvantaged employees, consisting primarily of white employees (66%). Designated employees are represented in much smaller numbers: Indian (15%), African (15%) and Coloured (4%).The objective of this research was to gain an understanding of how designated employees experience working in a predominantly white business unit. Applying a qualitative research design, anecdote circles were used to facilitate the informal sharing of experiences amongst peers. Twelve individuals partook in the anecdote circles and 59 anecdotes were gathered. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to extract themes. Thirty-two themes were identified in the anecdotes that were grouped into seven super-ordinate themes: A debilitating organisational culture; A constructive work environment; Poor orientation and integration into the business unit; Demanding consultant role; Dissatisfaction with careers: Difficulty in handling the typical demanding client profile and Involved management style. Results indicate that designated employees find the organisational culture restrictive due to the bureaucratic nature of the organisation, the insensitivity towards cultural differences, the impersonal atmosphere in the organisation; the excessive use of acronyms; poor communication and ineffective support structures. In contrast they have a positive view of their work environment which is seen as flexible, with plenty opportunities for development and high standards of work. Good teamwork exists with designated employees receiving a lot of support from their project team members. Results show that designated employees experience poor orientation in the business unit, which results in a lack of knowledge regarding processes, tools, and ideal behaviour. They are left to find this information out for themselves and this leads to poor integration into the business unit. Designated employees find their role as consultant very demanding. They experience a lot of pressure on projects and are concerned about others' impression of them. They feel empowered in certain areas of their work life and enjoy taking responsibility for their work and development. Designated employees are dissatisfied with the direction that their careers are taking and feel frustrated by the lack of career advancement. They do not believe their managers have the power to address their concerns regarding their career. Furthermore they equate career progression with financial gain and this adds to their frustration regarding their careers. Designated employees are struggling to deal with difficult and demanding clients who neglect responsibilities and can be unreasonable. They admit that they are not sure how to handle these clients. Designated employees are satisfied with the level of interaction with their managers and the recognition they receive when a job is well done. Some indicate that they would prefer more guidance and support from their managers and they stress the importance of performance management and providing regular feedback. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

This aim of this study is to understand the professional identity of careers advisers in UK universities, at a time of unprecedented interest in employability across the sector following an increase in undergraduate tuition fees in England. The research question is “What is the professional identity of careers advisers in higher education in the ‘new’ employability climate? Opportunities and challenges for careers service leaders and managers.” Here, professional identity is defined as ‘the experience and self-understanding of those fulfilling a particular occupational role’. The study is qualitative, using the methodological approach of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The areas of literature that have been reviewed relate to the nature and development of the professions and the development of individual and collective professional identity. The history of the careers adviser role within the UK education system also provides context. Data was collected in summer 2012 through interviews with 21 careers advisers from 14 universities across England, Wales and Scotland using a stratified sample based on league table data. This study makes a contribution to knowledge by suggesting a professional identity for careers advisers which is Undefined, Parochial, Unrecognised and Unconfident yet Dedicated, and by making recommendations for leaders and managers, and careers advisers themselves, to consider in their approaches to staff development, (self-) advocacy and connection with broader institutional priorities. Such approaches do not conflict with a primary purpose of ‘helping students’ and can serve to strengthen the impact and influence of careers advisers as experts who address the increasingly critical employability agenda.