解释现象学分析在中国的运用：系统评价及指南

作为一种质性研究方法, 解释现象学分析在心理学及社会科学的其他领域中逐渐兴起。目前在中国, 运用解释现象学分析的研究质量参差不齐, 对这些研究进行系统评价, 可以为将来的研究提供指导。通过对中英文数据库的检索及筛选, 最终纳入49篇期刊文章。根据Smith (2011)为解释现象学分析提出的4个标准对这些文章进行评价, 结果显示, 26篇研究明确提及了解释现象学的理论原则, 33篇文章的资料收集及分析过程清晰透明, 大部分研究(n = 40)条理清晰、言之成理, 但只有约1/4的研究(n = 13)提供了足够强的证据来支持其提取出来的主题。只有4篇全部达到质量标准, 11篇基本达到标准, 大部分文章没有达到标准。最后, 本研究尝试提出一份解释现象学分析的使用指南, 供将来的研究参考。     

The path towards a professional identity: An IPA study of Greek family therapy trainees

Objective: Contemporary psychotherapy research has focused mainly on practitioners' training and education. The impact of training on professional development and the application of therapeutic skills have been the primary foci of the empirical literature. The aim of this paper is to present the experiences of seven family therapy trainees regarding their personal paths toward the development of professional identity as they underwent training in systemic psychotherapy. Method: In‐depth interviews were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results & Conclusions: Seven themes were identified: The Quest, Developing by Relating, Learnings, Personification of Training, Use of Self, Self‐Care and Empowerment, and Reflecting on the Role of the Therapist. The findings are discussed with regard to the development of the ‘therapist as a person’, gaining acknowledgement and autonomy, and the development of a community of therapeutic practice.     

Exploring tensions of using interpretative phenomenological analysis in a domain with conflicting cultural practices

ABSTRACT

The philosophical foundations of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)—phenomenology, hermeneutics, and idiography—guide its practice and use. However, this foundation is often at odds with cultural practices of disciplines that value post-positivist perspectives emphasizing that reality can be objectively known. The conflict between the philosophical underpinnings of the methodology and the cultural practices of particular disciplines can serve to limit the use and acceptance of IPA. This article highlights ways researchers can use IPA even when the underlying tenets of that methodological approach may be in conflict with disciplinary norms. As such, we have set out to explore the tensions that accompany the choice to use IPA in the context of engineering education research within the United States. As a group of engineering education researchers, we drew upon collaborative inquiry to systematically examine our use of IPA. Our exploration of using IPA, as connected to everyday practice in a discipline that takes a postpositivist stance toward knowledge generation, provides examples for the use of IPA in tension with these disciplinary norms.     

Quality of life research: a case for combining photo-elicitation with interpretative phenomenological analysis

In this article, we provide practical and theoretical discussion of the use of two complementary research methods to explore quality of life. We present a case example of the use of photo-elicitation alongside interpretative phenomenological analysis and use examples from our research with people living with paraplegia and chronic pain to demonstrate how these methods can be combined to provide a participant-led understanding of quality of life. This discussion includes consideration of practical and ethical issues relevant to others wishing to combine these research methods. Furthermore, we highlight some of the potential practical and therapeutic opportunities provided by the approach through an illustration of how photographs work to enhance self-reflection and promote hermeneutic sense making.     

The working life of a medium: a qualitative examination of mediumship as a support service for the bereaved

Despite widespread scepticism, it has been estimated that around 10% of the UK adult population regularly visit a medium and television programmes showing mediumship demonstrations draw in millions of viewers. While many assume mediumship to be purely for entertainment, an alternative discourse presents it as being a service offered to comfort and support the bereaved. In this qualitative study, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine working mediums and examined with an interpretative phenomenological analysis which aims to understand the lived experiences of participants. Three key superordinate themes emerged, Responsibility and Ethics, Passion to Help and Therapeutic Value. These themes are discussed in terms of mediums’ perception of their work as a helping profession and an ethical framework which illustrates awareness of the vulnerability of sitters. We also consider whether mediums may be equipped to deal with sitters experiencing complicated grief.     

Worlds within worlds: a strategy for using interpretative phenomenological analysis with focus groups

There is increasing interest in applying interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to focus group data and in developing appropriate strategies for doing so. These strategies should exploit the unique features of focus groups, which provide a rich canvas of experiences not seen in individual interviews, while remaining true to the personal, phenomenological perspective of IPA. We present a four-stage approach with specific group focused analytical strategies: looking for “groupness,” clustering reoccurring group interactions, identifying interactional relationships, and incorporating group elements into an analysis. These stages are illustrated with worked examples developed while working with data from focus groups of women with gynaecological cancer discussing a yoga intervention, and explain how these can enrich our understanding of participants’ lived experiences. This approach demonstrates a suggested framework for developing IPA themes from focus group data by analysing and interpreting the group setting. We discuss links to psychological concepts, potential applications and limitations. This empirically based methodology is presented as a practical guide for other researchers grappling with this type of data.     

The meaning of home for Karen and Chin refugees from Burma: An interpretative phenomenological approach

Loss of home is common to all people from a refugee background yet we have little understanding of the diversity of meaning associated with this important concept. A phenomenological approach was used to explore experiences of home amongst Karen and Chin refugees residing in Brisbane. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants from Karen and Chin backgrounds. The participants comprised five females and four males (mean age 40 years, median length of time in Australia 1.33 years). Participants described their migration stories, including pre- and post-migration history. Analysis was conducted using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three superordinate themes, explicating the meaning of home for participants, were identified: home as the experience of a psychological space of safety and retreat; home as the socio-emotional space of relatedness to family; and home as geographical-emotional landscape. Loss of home was experienced as a multidimensional loss associated with emotional and physical disturbances. These findings, based upon a phenomenological paradigm, enhance understanding of the experience of being a refugee and of the suffering engendered by loss of home. They open up the possibility for conceptualizing refugee responses in terms of human suffering and meaning making.     

The experience of feeling fat for women with anorexia nervosa: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Feeling fat has been implicated as a maintenance factor in anorexia nervosa (AN), despite limited research into the experience. This study expanded the literature by exploring the lived experience of feeling fat for women with a diagnosis of AN. Seven women participated in this study and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed to explore the participants’ experience of ‘feeling fat’ and its relevance for clinical treatment. Four main themes emerged from the data: ‘negative sense of self’, ‘feeling out of control’, ‘coping with feeling fat’, and ‘making sense of feeling fat is complex’. These results highlight feeling fat as a significant experience and maintenance factor for women with a diagnosis of AN. Implications for addressing feeling fat within psychological therapy are explored.     

Exploring the meaning in meaningful coincidences: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of synchronicity in therapy

Synchronicity experiences (SEs) are defined as psychologically meaningful connections between inner events (e.g. thought, dream or vision) and one or more external events occurring simultaneously or at a future point in time. There has been limited systematic research that has investigated the phenomenology of SEs in therapy. This study aimed to redress this by exploring the process and nature of such experiences from the perspective of the practitioner. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of nine practitioners who reported SEs in their therapeutic sessions (three counsellors, three psychologists and three psychotherapists), and focused on how participants make sense of their experiences of synchronicity in therapy. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to identify three superordinate themes: sense of connectedness, therapeutic process, and professional issues. Findings suggest that SEs can serve to strengthen the therapeutic relationship and are perceived as useful harbingers of information about the therapeutic process, as well as being a means of overcoming communication difficulties, as they are seen to provide insights into the client’s experiencing of themselves and others, regardless of whether or not the SE is acknowledged by the client or disclosed by the therapist.     

‘The bereaved therapist speaks’. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of humanistic therapists' experiences of a significant personal bereavement and its impact upon their therapeutic practice: An exploratory study

Aim: The aim of the research was to explore the under‐researched area of therapists' personal bereavement and its impact upon their therapeutic practice. Method: Data were collected via semi‐structured interviews with four humanistic therapists and were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Findings: Four master and eight subordinate themes emerged from the rich data collected that exemplified both convergence with and divergence from the small body of extant literature on therapist bereavement and current thinking in thanatology. The findings suggest that bereavement is a unique experience that can affect the individual's personal and social identity and worldview. It can also be a transformative experience resulting in personal growth and a renewed sense of self and agency. In terms of professional practice, the findings suggest that the lived experience of the grieving process, mediated by supportive supervision, enabled participants to experience deeper levels of empathy and connectedness within their therapeutic relationships. Conclusion and implications: Bereavement is an experience that can profoundly impact upon therapists' personal identity and assumptive world. Such an experience can have an equally profound impact upon their therapeutic practice. There are therefore implications for students, trainers, therapists and supervisors particularly in terms of self‐care and the use of the ‘self’ in therapy. Further research needs to be undertaken in order to explore in greater depth the intersection between personal bereavement and therapists' evolving personal and professional identity development.     

The experience of receiving a kidney transplant from a deceased donor: Implications for renal services

Objective: The study aimed to explore the psychological experiences of receiving a kidney transplant from a deceased donor and to examine resulting implications for renal services.

Design: A qualitative design was utilised within an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) framework.

Main outcome measures: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six adults (male = 5, mean age = 45 yrs) on their experiences of receiving a kidney transplant from a deceased donor. All participants had their transplant within the preceding 21 months. Data were analysed using IPA.

Results: The four elicited themes incorporate recipients’ positive feelings about receiving a transplant, mainly arising from the newfound freedom that this entails, in addition to strong feelings of gratitude towards their donors. They also capture challenges, such as the uncertainty of living with a transplanted kidney, and highlight the increased dependence on others throughout the transplant process.

Conclusion: The findings indicate a range of psychological, social and occupational experiences for participants. It is concluded that optimal care in renal services would incorporate a holistic approach to pre and post-transplant care; identifying and supporting the needs of transplant recipients. A biopsychosocial model of care may enhance service user well-being. Potential areas of future research are explored.     

Perceived acceptability of anorexia and bulimia in women with and without eating disorder symptoms

Perceptions of the acceptability of eating‐disordered behaviour were examined in young adult women with (n = 44) and without (n = 268) eating disorder symptoms. All participants viewed vignettes of anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) and responded to the same series of questions—addressing different possible ways in which the conditions described might be seen to be acceptable—in relation to each vignette. Participants with eating disorder symptoms perceived eating‐disordered behaviour to be more acceptable than asymptomatic participants, and this was the case for both AN and BN vignettes and for a range of different items. Differences on items tapping the perception that it ‘might not be too bad’ to have an eating disorder and that an eating disorder is ‘nothing to be concerned about’ were particularly pronounced. The findings could not be accounted for by between‐group differences in body weight. The findings indicate the ambivalence towards eating‐disordered behaviour that exists among a subgroup of young women in the community and the clear association between such ambivalence and actual eating disorder symptoms. The perceived acceptability of eating‐disordered behaviour may need to be addressed in prevention and early‐intervention programs for eating disorders.     

“Am iz kwiin” (I’m his queen): Combining interpretative phenomenological analysis with a feminist approach to work with gems in a resource-constrained setting

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on working with gems using a feminist approach to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) in a resource-constrained setting. The research explores the experiences of maternal disclosure of HIV to children of HIV positive mothers in Kingston, Jamaica. A feminist approach helps recognise power imbalances within research relationships and the women’s lived experiences. We present three “gems” which illuminate women’s lived experiences and explore how popularised representations of women’s sexuality and mothering influence disclosure discourses. We use emotion work as a conceptual resource to structure the women’s narratives and challenge existing policy discourses, which arguably represent disclosure within a binary, rationalist, decision-making framework. This article adds to global literature on maternal HIV disclosure and problematises policy discourses by bringing into relief the emotion work women engage in when deciding if and how to communicate their HIV status to their children. It adds to the body of research using IPA, particularly in resource-constrained settings where IPA has thus far had little application.     

Psychosocial resources,support, and career satisfaction among professional women: A South African study

The study examined the role psychosocial resources play in enhancing perceptions of support and career satisfaction among professional women. The participants were a purposive sample of 606 professional women from South Africa (white = 61.8%, black = 19.9%, Indian = 11.1%, and coloured = 6.6%; mean age = 35.41 years, SD = 8.39 years). The participants were in their early adulthood and establishment career stage. The participants were employed in the financial, engineering, and human resource fields. The participants completed measures of emotional intelligence, career adaptability, psychosocial career preoccupations, self-efficacy, perceived organisational support, social support, and career satisfaction. Following canonical correlation analysis, results revealed managing own emotions, career control, self-efficacy, preoccupations with career adaptation, and preoccupations with establishment to positively predict higher levels of organisational support and career satisfaction. Findings underpin the fact that psychosocial resources are assets for the career well-being of professional women from a developing country setting.     

Picturing ourselves in the world: Drawings,interpretative phenomenological analysis and the relational mapping interview

ABSTRACT

Some aspects of experience can be challenging for research participants to verbalise. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) researchers need to get experience-near to meet their phenomenological commitments, capturing the “texture” and quality of existence, and placing participants in relation to events, objects, others, and the world. Incorporating drawing into IPA designs provides a vehicle through which participants can better explore and communicate their lifeworlds. IPA researchers also require rich accounts to fulfil their interpretative commitments. Drawing taps into multiple sensory registers simultaneously, providing polysemous data, which in turn lends itself to hermeneutic analysis. This article outlines a multimodal method, the relational mapping interview, which was developed to understand the relational context of various forms of distress and disruption. We illustrate how the approach results in richly nuanced visual and verbal accounts of relational experience. Drawing on an “expanded hermeneutic phenomenology,” we suggest how visual data can be analysed within an IPA framework to offer significant experiential insights.     

Transitioning from a hospital rehabilitation programme to home: Exploring the experiences of people with complex regional pain syndrome

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is difficult to diagnose and is characterised by burning pain in one or more limbs. Treatment is palliative not curative and focuses on improving function. This requires patients to make long-term changes to their behaviour. As with all such regimens, adherence is often poor. This study explored the lived experience of 10 patients who had returned home after completing a two-week in-patient treatment programme. The interviews focused on how they coped with the transition from hospital to home, and on the things that they considered had facilitated or hindered this transition. Battling for Control was an overarching theme that connected the four superordinate themes: ‘Gaining Momentum’ that facilitated the implementation of treatment advice, ‘Distance from the pool of expertise’ that detailed the barriers to adherence experienced; ‘It helped me realise it was not all in my head’ that detailed a facilitative process, and the ‘nag list’ that was a technique patients’ used to garner support. This article offers insights into the transition experience. A key outcome is the recognition of the need to better prepare patients for their transition back home.     

‘In Some Eyes It's Still Oooh,Gloucester, Yeah Fred West’: Spatial Stigma and the Impact of a High‐profile Crime on Community Identity

The question of how crime impacts on others has generated a wealth of research over the past few decades. However, there is surprisingly little knowledge about how ‘high‐profile’ crimes impact on community members who live in a town that has become synonymous with the crime itself. This study involves interviews with community members who lived or worked in the town of Gloucester when the serial killings perpetrated by Fred and Rosemary West were discovered in 1994. An interpretative phenomenological analysis explores the lived experiences and meaning‐making processes engaged in by the participants. Findings highlight their attempts to make sense of a high‐profile case that stigmatised their own community and the practices of identity management that continue to operate some 20 years later. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.