You still feel different: the experience and meaning of women's self‐injury in the context of a lesbian or bisexual identity

This article reports an intensive qualitative study of the subjective experience and meaning of self‐injury for 16 women who identified as lesbian or bisexual and who had deliberately self‐injured on repeated occasions. In individual interviews, the women talked about their experiences of self‐injury and the role it played in their lives as lesbian or bisexual women. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to elicit themes arising within their accounts. These highlighted a number of ways in which social and contextual factors contributed to the development of self‐injury. Although many of these factors seemed applicable to any woman who self‐injures, there were some aspects that were specific to the experience of lesbian and bisexual women. In addition, the women's accounts raised a number of important issues about the way in which mental health services respond to lesbian and bisexual women who self‐injure. It is argued that self‐injury can be understood as a coping response that arises within a social context characterized by abuse, invalidation, and the experience of being regarded as different or in some way unacceptable. These factors are especially salient in the lives of women, and they emerge particularly strongly as part of the experience of women who are developing a lesbian or bisexual identity. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

明见性:相即感知与自我--再论胡塞尔的"直观"理论

在《逻辑研究》中具有本源性奠基意义的胡塞尔意义上的内感知,实际上是一个歧义两可的概念：作为对真理、本质的相即感知,它实现了直观的明见性理想,但其对象性感知的自然意识特征使其无法作为现象学考察的根基,而实际上它又并不具有对象性感知的意向构造性;只有作为“自身给予”（明见性）意义上的自身意识：才可以在起源的意义上真正实现现象学反思以至本质直观的切实意蕴。而这种意识一体验的时间性本性又使得明见性坐落于作为其根源的“自我”的问题域中。由此,自身意识与反思的含义、关系及其发展脉络才能真实呈现,明见性从相应性向绝然性的逐步过渡才能被理解。     

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.     

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.     

Longitudinal qualitative research and interpretative phenomenological analysis: philosophical connections and practical considerations

Qualitative longitudinal research designs are commonly considered a sensible orientation to exploring concepts of time and change. However, as a stand-alone method, qualitative longitudinal research has been criticized for its lack of philosophical and theoretical foundation (Hermanowicz 2013). This article explores the key tenets of qualitative longitudinal research and aligns with the notion that qualitative longitudinal designs be fused with other qualitative methods of data collection and analysis to enhance experimental trustworthiness (Calman, Brunton & Molassiotis 2013). Specifically, this article posits that a longitudinal design aligns well with the epistemological and ontological foundations of the interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) method to highlight longitudinal IPA as an emerging and distinctive qualitative methodology (Smith, Flowers & Larkin 2009). Practical considerations for conducting longitudinal IPA are also provided.     

A Phenomenological Calculus for Anisotropic Systems

The phenomenological calculus is a relational paradigm for complex systems, closely related in substance and spirit to Robert Rosen’s own approach. Its mathematical language is multilinear algebra. The epistemological exploration continues in this paper, with the expansion of the phenomenological calculus into the realm of anisotropy.     

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。     

Can I use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern‐based qualitative analytic approaches

Thematic analysis methods, including the reflexive approach we have developed, are widely used in counselling and psychotherapy research, as are other approaches that seek to develop ‘patterns’ (themes, categories) across cases. Without a thorough grounding in the conceptual foundations of a wide variety of across‐case analytic approaches, and qualitative research more broadly—something rarely offered in counselling training—it can be difficult to understand how these differ, where they overlap, and which might be appropriate for a particular research project. Our aim in this paper is to support researchers in counselling and psychotherapy to select an appropriate across‐case approach for their research, and to justify their choice, by discussing conceptual and procedural differences and similarities between reflexive thematic analysis (TA) and four other across‐case approaches. Three of these are also widely used in counselling and psychotherapy research—qualitative content analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis and grounded theory. The fourth—discourse analysis—is less widely used but importantly exemplifies the critical qualitative research tradition. We contextualise our comparative approach by highlighting the diversity within TA. TA is best thought of as a spectrum of methods—from types that prioritise coding accuracy and reliability to reflexive approaches like ours that emphasise the inescapable subjectivity of data interpretation. Although reflexive TA provides the point of comparison for our discussion of other across‐case approaches, our aim is not to promote reflexive TA as ‘best’. Rather, we encourage the knowing selection and use of analytic methods and methodologies in counselling and psychotherapy research.     

Therapeutic implications of counselling psychologists’ responses to client trauma: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

The past two decades have seen a surge of interest in the impact of working with trauma survivors on therapists’ psychological well-being. Existing literature assumes that therapists’ strong subjective responses to traumatic material adversely influence the therapeutic process. However, this has not yet been directly researched. Nine counselling psychologists were interviewed regarding the clinical impact of their responses to the disclosure of traumatic material. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis showed that significant challenges are experienced in the use of self in therapy with trauma survivors, including making sense of horrific human actions, negotiating complex interpersonal dynamics and responding to ethical dilemmas in therapy. Results emphasised the importance that therapists attached to the development of their therapeutic use of self in therapy with trauma survivors, the value of learning from others and reaching a place of acceptance and hope when working with trauma survivors. Finally, specific training and development implications are proposed.