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Transformative Life Experience as a Glimpse Into Potentiality
Abstract
Many clients cope with the consequences of transformative life experience (TLE) in
psychotherapy. TLE often involves a radical, profound reorganization of or change in
one’s life because of resulting formative, life-changing choices. Yet the essence of the
mechanism people use to process and make sense of a TLE is unclear. This study is a
phenomenological exploration of such experiences that aims to offer a heuristic
theoretical view of how such change is constructed and played out. Data were
collected through in-depth interviews with 120 adults who had coped with the
consequences of a TLE. Data analysis was guided by a hermeneutic phenomenology
paradigm that postulates that people account for their experience within the four
existentials of temporality, spatiality, corporality (embodiment), and relationality.
Those lifeworld existentials were utilized as a framework and lens through which to
organize the data. This procedure was followed by a hermeneutical interpretation to identify common features of lived experience along all four domains of analysis with
the purpose of constructing a conceptual model that illustrates the essence of change
during TLE. Implications are considered for utilizing theoretical and applied insights
from the model.
... The issue of existential anxiety and its implications for the way one experiences their reality is dramatized within the context of a TLE, where one's social order is forever changed in the midst of a definitive event (Russo-Netzer & Davidov, 2020). TLEs may include a host of events, such as adversity or trauma (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 2006;Linley & Joseph, 2004), bereavement (e.g., Polatinsky & Esprey, 2000), severe and terminal illness (e.g., Hefferon et al., 2009), and violence or terrorism (e.g., Williams, 2007). ...
... Transformative learning (e.g., Cranton, 1996;Mezirow, 1996), thus, generally refers to the process of effecting change in frames of reference through critical reflection on underlying beliefs, habits of mind or points of view, or through an intuitive and emotional process (Dirkx et al., 2006). In a broader sense, previous research suggests that such events may shake one's worldview and provide an opportunity for schema reconstruction, a new narrative about life goals, and a (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 2006;Russo-Netzer & Davidov, 2020;Russo-Netzer & Moran, 2017). PTG can develop in forms of increased appreciation of life, improved relationships with others, new possibilities, an enhanced sense of personal strength, and spiritual change and development (Marshall et al., 2015;Tallman et al., 2010). ...
The purpose of this study is to offer a systematic phenomenological approach to
explore existential anxiety, typically defined as the experience of becoming aware of the
universal concerns including death, meaninglessness, freedom and loneliness. It focuses on
in-depth exploration of Transformative Life Experiences (TLE), events which often induce
radical and profound reorganization of one’s life. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with 150 adults who self-identified and accounted for a TLE in their lives. Data analysis was guided by a hermeneutic phenomenology paradigm that postulates that people account for their experience within the four lifeworld existentials of temporality, spatiality, corporality (embodiment), and relationality.
A heuristic model was developed as an attempt to bridge the gap between the
theoretical notion of existential anxiety and how it is subjectively experienced by
interviewees. Implications of the model for further research and practice are discussed,
particularly the ability to identify a dominant universal concern, even when implicit, based on an exploration of one's subjective account of TLE.
... Although education undoubtedly passes on critical knowledge that underpins rational decision-making and thereby informs and shapes behaviour, social scientists have questioned whether the addition of information in itself is sufficient to sustainably alter human behaviour (Luetz et al. 2020;Sapolsky 2018). Literary analysis suggests that group conformity or social norms, the desire to imitate others, transformative life experiences, and emotional positivity associated with change are more relevant than merely adding information through education (Russo-Netzer and Davidov 2020;Sapolsky 2018;Segar 2015;Segar et al. 2007). Similarly, Kelly and Barker (2016) have cautioned from a medical perspective that merely "giving people information does not make them change" (p. ...
A review of the contemporary Australian church reveals a spiritual malaise in which passive learning has become the main staple for many church members or attendees. This sense is heightened by demographic trends over the last fifty years that reflect a sustained decline in Australians identifying as religious. Although commitment to Christianity is seemingly softening, this sociodemographic picture is contraindicated by other research that reflects a growing hunger for spirituality among many Australians. Given this disparity, there is an opportunity to re-examine pertinent understandings of spiritual growth. In the literature, notions of spiritual growth are conceptualised by a variety of definitions and operationalised by a range of tools and practices. Analysis suggests that many models are limited by linearity, passivity, and reductionism and do not adequately resonate with the complexities inherent in spiritual growth. This literature review extends previous research by examining the state of the art in relation to spiritual growth. The paper converges around the synthesis that heutagogy and coaching are effective twin strategies that may direct self-determined learning towards enhanced spiritual growth. This paper conceptualises opportunities for future research and thereby lays the foundation for an important emergent research agenda. This article charts pertinent perspectives and prospects.
... Some personal change processes are volitional, such as in psychotherapy (e.g., Prochaska, 1999), while others are less intentional, such as radical or intense change due to conversion (Zinnbauer & Pargament, 1998) and what has been referred to as quantum change, a radical and profound personal transformation triggered by an insightful realization (Miller & C'de Baca, 2001) or trauma (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). In addition, life transitions and adversities can catalyze changes in individuals' beliefs and values (Laura A King et al., 2000) and may serve, for some, as turning points that alter their trajectory (Fiori et al., 2004;Russo-Netzer & Davidov, 2020). Positive experiences, such as peak or flow experiences, in which people lose a sense of self because they are fully integrated in an activity or mission, can also function as life-altering events (e.g., Calhoun & Tedeschi, 2006;Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). ...
An increasingly large body of research in social psychology has underscored the power of brief
situational interventions in promoting purposeful change. The present research contributes to the
literature on positive psychology interventions (PPIs) by testing a novel volitional intervention that
encourages people to engage in activities ‘outside their comfort zone.’ Participants were randomly
assigned either to a condition that encouraged them to engage in an activity outside of their
comfort zone over the following two weeks or to a control condition that encouraged them to
keep a record of their daily activities. The intervention boosted the life satisfaction of people who
were relatively less happy at baseline, with exploratory analyses tentatively suggesting benefits
strongest among people who went outside their comfort zone by helping others. Discussion
centers on the potential of behavioral ‘stretch’ interventions to promote positive change and well�being among people dissatisfied with their life.
... Some personal change processes are volitional, such as in psychotherapy (e.g., Prochaska, 1999), while others are less intentional, such as radical or intense change due to conversion (Zinnbauer & Pargament, 1998) and what has been referred to as quantum change, a radical and profound personal transformation triggered by an insightful realization (Miller & C'de Baca, 2001) or trauma (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). In addition, life transitions and adversities can catalyze changes in individuals' beliefs and values (Laura A King et al., 2000) and may serve, for some, as turning points that alter their trajectory (Fiori et al., 2004;Russo-Netzer & Davidov, 2020). Positive experiences, such as peak or flow experiences, in which people lose a sense of self because they are fully integrated in an activity or mission, can also function as life-altering events (e.g., Calhoun & Tedeschi, 2006;Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). ...
An increasingly large body of research in social psychology has underscored the power of brief situational interventions in promoting purposeful change. The present research contributes to the literature on positive psychology interventions (PPIs) by testing a novel volitional intervention that encourages people to engage in activities “outside their comfort zone.” Participants were randomly assigned either to a condition that encouraged them to engage in an activity outside of their comfort zone over the following two weeks or to a control condition that encouraged them to keep a record of their daily activities. The intervention boosted the life satisfaction of people who were relatively less happy at baseline, with exploratory analyses tentatively suggesting benefits strongest among people who went outside their comfort zone by helping others. Discussion centers on the potential of behavioral "stretch" interventions to promote positive change and well-being among people dissatisfied with their life.
Examination of how people experience positive change outside the therapy room is of use to those seeking to support people who want to change within the realms of psychotherapy. The qualitative literature which has examined the topic of sudden and profound transformation has mostly focused on the antecedent and facilitative factors associated with this form of change. This study aims to explore the epiphanies of six participants who took part in unstructured interviews. The data generated was subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three major themes emerge: (i) Making sense of an ineffable experience; (ii) Who I was, what happened, who I am now; (iii) Illuminating purpose – each associated with a subtheme. A found poem is also presented for each major theme. The implications for therapeutic practitioners, mental health professionals and educators are discussed. It is concluded that the empathic understanding of such experiences may be enhanced from engaging with the dimensions of epiphanic experiences described here.
In this chapter we explore the components and structure of human consciousness, including cognitive mechanisms of rationality and processing patterns on the one hand, and the subjective experience of sensations, feelings, and emotions (i.e. lived experience), on the other. The chapter considers the components of the subjective experience from the perspective of hermeneutic phenomenology, according to which, each subjective (or lived) experience is constructed from the four lifeworld existentials of temporality (lived time), corporeality/embodiment (lived body), relationality (lived human relations), and spatiality (lived space). It introduces the concept of Dasein, which is the mediating factor between one’s cognitive conceptualization of experience and the manner in which those experiences are subjectively lived through.KeywordsSubjective experienceLived experienceHeideggerDaseinHermeneutic phenomenologyLifeworld existentialsTemporalityCorporality/embodimentRelationalitySpatiality
Researchers who plan to utilize the methodological approach of hermeneutical phenomenology must first understand the philosophical assumptions that provide the epistemological foundation for this methodology. The objective of this chapter is to present a set of resources for instructors of research methodology coursework, specifically instructors who aim to introduce students to the research methodology of hermeneutical phenomenological inquiry. The core philosophical concepts discussed in this chapter are 1) the phenomenological attitude, 2) hermeneutics as way of being, 3) the four lifeworld existentials, and 4) the significance of mood. This chapter will begin by presenting a brief summary of these four philosophical concepts. Then, this chapter will introduce three frameworks of curriculum theory, specifically as related to the use of curricular objectives in the practice of teaching. Finally, this chapter will present five distinct approaches to lesson planning and will apply each lesson planning approach to the teaching of these four core philosophical concepts.
The global COVID -19 pandemic has triggered a wide variety of psychological crises worldwide. In order to respond rapidly and efficiently to the complex challenges, mental health professionals are required to adopt a multidimensional and integrative view. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) founded by Albert Ellis promotes rationality and self-acceptance. Logotherapy, pioneered by Viktor Frankl potentiates meaning and resilience. Both approaches are complementary and mutually enriching. The goal of this paper is to propose an integrative model of “optimal sense-making”, a concept that combines both rationality and meaning, as well as the role of self-transcendence and healthy negative emotions. The model offers a theoretical and clinical foundation for efficient and effective psychological intervention plans for those affected by the pandemic. Along with theoretical background, illustrating case studies will be presented to support potential application of the integrative model to affected individuals as well as the work of first line health professionals during these times of pandemic. Implications are considered for utilizing theoretical and applied insights from the model to cultivate resilience in face of adversity and suffering.
In qualitative research we are often presented with a tension between having open and fluid interviews to support staying true to the lived experiences of participants and achieving a level of abstraction from the data in order to uncover the essential structures and meanings of that particular lived experience. A way of resolving this tension is through the application of theoretical frameworks. Van Manen's four lifeworld existentials offer a lens through which to explore and navigate disparate interview data and uncover the essences of lived experience, without imposing categories upon the data itself. Drawing on a study exploring the lived experiences of childless women, we explore the process and principles in operationalising the existentials and discuss the potential implications for analysis and findings. The article demonstrates how Van Manen's lifeworld existentials present us with a holistic and valuable method for reflective practice, in coming to understand lived experience.
Qualitative content analysis is commonly used for analyzing qualitative data. However, few articles have examined the trustworthiness of its use in nursing science studies. The trustworthiness of qualitative content analysis is often presented by using terms such as credibility, dependability, conformability, transferability, and authenticity. This article focuses on trustworthiness based on a review of previous studies, our own experiences, and methodological textbooks. Trustworthiness was described for the main qualitative content analysis phases from data collection to reporting of the results. We concluded that it is important to scrutinize the trustworthiness of every phase of the analysis process, including the preparation, organization, and reporting of results. Together, these phases should give a reader a clear indication of the overall trustworthiness of the study. Based on our findings, we compiled a checklist for researchers attempting to improve the trustworthiness of a content analysis study. The discussion in this article helps to clarify how content analysis should be reported in a valid and understandable manner, which would be of particular benefit to reviewers of scientific articles. Furthermore, we discuss that it is often difficult to evaluate the trustworthiness of qualitative content analysis studies because of defective data collection method description and/or analysis description.
Within this article, the authors outline the political and institutional structures that work to formulate operating norms that govern what is considered to be ``acceptable'' qualitative organizational research, and the quality indicators attached to foundational, quasi-foundational, and nonfoundational research orientations. They argue that encouraging a plurality of methods and representations will better position the field of organizational studies to address the most significant questions of our time. Located within this position, they call for a democratization of what counts in organizational research: a more considered and central space for nonhegemonic approaches to qualitative work. In so doing, they champion a moral-sacred epistemology that foregrounds ethical and moral concerns as underpinning both the purpose and the quality of the research.
The jail cell conversion from "sinner" to true believer may be one of the best examples of a "second chance" in modern life, yet the process receives far more attention from the popular media than from social science research. In this article, we explore prisoner conversions from the perspective of narrative psychology. Drawing on 75 original, life story interviews with prisoner "converts," we argue that the conversion narrative "works" as a shame management and coping strategy in the following ways. The narrative creates a new social identity to replace the label of prisoner or criminal, imbues the experience of imprisonment with purpose and meaning, empowers the largely powerless prisoner by turning him into an agent of God, provides the prisoner with a language and framework for forgiveness, and allows a sense of control over an unknown future.
The purpose of this inquiry is to investigate positive change and transformation that is sudden and abrupt, as defined by the term epiphany. Due to the disparate nature of the epiphanic literature, a thorough and wide-ranging review was undertaken, producing a set of six core characteristics, which were tested and interpreted from a self-identity existential perspective. A narrative inquiry approach to methodology was employed to collect and analyze participants' epiphanies, from which three main interpretations were drawn. Firstly, the participants' life-stories illustrate that an epiphany is a valid experience as indicated by support for the set of six core characteristics developed from the literature. Secondly, an epiphany is a profound illumination of the inauthentic and authentic modes of self-identity, which provide the impetus for a more honest and courageous encounter with the conditions of existence. Lastly, an epiphany is an intentional experience made significant and enduring by the ascription of personal meaning.
Although theoretical and empirical work on topics related to meaning and meaning making proliferate, careful evaluation and integration of this area have not been carried out. Toward this end, this article has 3 goals: (a) to elaborate the critical dimensions of meaning as it relates to stressful life events and conditions, (b) to extend the transactional model of stress and coping to include these dimensions, and (c) to provide a framework for understanding current research and directions for future research within this extended model. First, the authors present a framework for understanding diverse conceptual and operational definitions of meaning by distinguishing 2 levels of meaning, termed
global meaning and
situational meaning. Second, the authors use this framework to review and synthesize the literature on the functions of meaning in the coping process and propose a definition of
meaning making that highlights the critical role of reappraisal. The authors specify the roles of attributions throughout the coping process and discuss implications for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
In the field of social work, practitioners must remain well informed regarding research advances in their respective areas. Proponents of evidence-based practice expect social workers to engage in practice informed by the best available evidence. Research studies conducted through the lens of qualitative inquiry provide important contributions to the social work knowledge base. In many cases, these studies can represent the best available research regarding emerging problems or application of evidence to diverse populations. Yet, despite the relevance of qualitative research, many social workers receive minimal training regarding qualitative methodology hindering their ability to conduct and evaluate research that uses qualitative methods. The purpose of this article is to provide students and practitioners some orientation regarding qualitative research methods and to highlight potential strategies researchers and consumers of research may use to evaluate the trustworthiness and quality of qualitative research. Specifically, the concept of trustworthiness is defined in the context of qualitative inquiry and questions social work practitioners can ask when evaluating the quality and applicability of a qualitative research study are provided.
An acute leukemia diagnosis can be an extremely stressful experience for most patients. Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is positive psychological change experienced following a struggle with highly challenging life circumstances. The current study is the first longitudinal investigation of predictors of PTG and distress in adult acute leukemia patients undergoing induction chemotherapy. Findings suggest that these patients report PTG, and levels of PTG appear to increase over the weeks following leukemia diagnosis and induction chemotherapy. Variables associated with higher total PTG scores over time included greater number of days from baseline, younger age, and greater challenge to core beliefs. Variables associated with higher distress included greater number of days from baseline, greater perceived cancer threat, higher symptom severity, and lower spiritual well-being. Results underscore the critical role that examination of one's core beliefs may play in the development of PTG over time.
Some individuals when they come close to death report having experiences that they interpret as spiritual or religious. These so-called near-death experiences (NDEs) often include a sense of separation from the physical body and encounters with religious figures and a mystical or divine presence. They share with mystical experiences a sense of cosmic unity or oneness, transcendence of time and space, deeply felt positive mood, sense of sacredness, noetic quality or intuitive illumination, paradoxicality, ineffability, transiency, and persistent positive aftereffects. Although there is no relationship between NDEs and religious belief prior to the experience, there are strong associations between depth of NDE and religious change after the experience. NDEs often change experiencers' values, decreasing their fear of death and giving their lives new meaning. NDEs lead to a shift from ego-centered to other-centered consciousness, disposition to love unconditionally, heightened empathy, decreased interest in status symbols and material possessions, reduced fear of death, and deepened spiritual consciousness. Many experiencers become more empathic and spiritually oriented and express the beliefs that death is not fearsome, that life continues beyond, that love is more important than material possessions, and that everything happens for a reason. These changes meet the definition of spiritual transformation as “a dramatic change in religious belief, attitude, and behavior that occurs over a relatively short period of time.” NDEs do not necessarily promote any one particular religious or spiritual tradition over others, but they do foster general spiritual growth both in the experiencers themselves and in human society at large.
The central significance of intersubjectivity was already made clear by Husserl in the first volume of Ideen 1 on the occasion of an analysis of the natural attitude. The objective, spatio-temporal reality of a surrounding world (Umwelt), accepted not only by me but also by other ego-subjects (Ich-Subjekte), is taken for granted without question as an element of the general thesis (Generalthese) of the natural attitude. It is part of this general thesis that other ego-subjects are apprehended as fellow-men (Nebenmenschen) who have consciousness of the objective world as I do in spite of differences in perspectives and in degrees of clarity. It is also taken for granted that we can communicate with one another (Par. 29). How, in the frame of the natural attitude, is mutual understanding (Einverständnis) in principle possible? The answer given by Husserl in Ideen I (Par. 53), on the occasion of the preparatory analyses of pure consciousness, refers to the experience of a Unking of consciousness and body (Leib) to form a natural, empirical unity by means of which consciousness is located in the space and time of nature, and which, in acts of “empathy,” makes possible reciprocal understanding between animate subjects belonging to one world.
This study examined the relationship between flow experience and place identity, based on eudaimonistic identity theory which prioritizes self-defining activities as important ones for an individual’s identification of his/her goals, values, beliefs, and interests corresponding to one’s own identity development or enhancement. The study is also based on flow theory, according to which some salient features of an activity experience are important for happiness and well-being. Questionnaire surveys on Italian and Greek residents focused on their perceived flow and place identity in relation to their own specific local place experiences. The overall findings revealed that flow experience occurring in one's own preferred place is widely reported as resulting from a range of self-defining activities irrespective of gender or age, and it is positively and significantly associated with one's own place identity. Such findings provide the first quantitative evidence about the link between flow experienced during meaningfully located self-definining activities and identity experienced at the place level, similarly to the corresponding personal and social levels that had been previously already empirically tested. Results are also discussed in terms of their implications for eudaimonistic identity theory's understanding and enriching, especially by its generalization from the traditional personal identity level up to the place identity one. More generally, this study has implications for maintaining or enhancing one’s own place identity, and therefore people-place relations, by means of facilitating a person's flow experience within psychologically meaningful places.
This chapter describes flow, the experience of complete absorption in the present moment, and the experiential approach to positive psychology that it represents. We summarize the model of optimal experience and development that is associated with the concept of flow, and describe several ways of measuring flow, giving particular attention to the experience sampling method. We review some of the recent research concerning the outcomes and dynamics of flow, its conditions at school and work, and interventions that have been employed to foster flow. Finally, we identify some of the promising directions for flow research moving into the future.
Cover Blurb: Researching Lived Experience introduces an approach to qualitative research methodology in education and related fields that is distinct from traditional approaches derived from the behavioral or natural sciences—an approach rooted in the “everyday lived experience” of human beings in educational situations. Rather than relying on abstract generalizations and theories, van Manen offers an alternative that taps the unique nature of each human situation.
The book offers detailed methodological explications and practical examples of hermeneutic-phenomenological inquiry. It shows how to orient oneself to human experience in education and how to construct a textual question which evokes a fundamental sense of wonder, and it provides a broad and systematic set of approaches for gaining experiential material that forms the basis for textual reflections.
Van Manen also discusses the part played by language in educational research, and the importance of pursuing human science research critically as a semiotic writing practice. He focuses on the methodological function of anecdotal narrative in human science research, and offers methods for structuring the research text in relation to the particular kinds of questions being studied. Finally, van Manen argues that the choice of research method is itself a pedagogic commitment and that it shows how one stands in life as an educator.
The author explains that his background was in experimental psychology but that he wanted to study the whole person and not fragmented psychological processes. He also desired a non-reductionistic method for studying humans. Fortunately he came across the work of Edmund Husserl and discovered in the latter's thought a way of researching humans that met the criteria he was seeking. Eventually he developed a phenomenological method for researching humans in a psychological way based upon the work of Husserl and Merleau-Ponty. This article briefly describes the method.
This study examined the nature of spiritual conversion in a sample of 130 Christian college students. More specifically, this study offered a definition of spiritual conversion and tested it by comparing the ways in which spiritual conversion differs from both gradual increases in religiousness, and from no religious change. Spiritual converts, nonconverts who increased in religiousness gradually, and religious adherents who did not experience religious change were selected using a screening questionnaire. A questionnaire battery was used in the assessment of the research questions, and was supplemented with 10 interviews which provided personal examples of the students'religious experiences. There were significant differences between the religious change groups and the group not experiencing religious change in terms of their pre-change experiences, post-change experiences, and amount of pre-post change. However, the study did not strongly differentiate between spiritual converts and nonconverts who had experienced religious change. The theoretical implications of these results were discussed.
Objective
The aim of this study is to examine the relationships among demographic, medical, and psychosocial factors and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and post-traumatic growth (PTG) in oncology populations.MethodA systematic search identified k = 116 relevant studies published between 1990 and 2012. Meta-analyses synthesized results from studies that reported data on correlates of PTSS (k = 26) or PTG (k = 48). A meta-analysis was performed for k = 5 studies reporting the correlation between PTSS and PTG.ResultsPost-traumatic stress symptoms were associated with depression (r = 0.56), anxiety (r = 0.65), distress (r = 0.62), social support (r = −0.33), and physical quality of life (r = −0.44). PTG was associated with age (r = −0.08), gender (r = −0.15), distress (r = −0.16), depression (r = −0.06), social support (r = 0.30), optimism (r = 0.27), positive reappraisal (r = 0.46), spirituality (r = 0.33), and religious coping (r = 0.36). There was a small positive relationship between PTSS and PTG (r = 0.13).Conclusions
Post-traumatic stress symptoms and PTG appear to be independent constructs, rather than opposite ends of a single dimension. This is reflected in a small relationship between these variables and different psychosocial correlates. PTSS were strongly associated with variables reflecting a general state of negative affect. Optimism, spirituality, and positive coping styles were associated with PTG. It remains unclear how they are associated with PTSS, given the lack of relevant studies. Longitudinal research is required to examine how psychosocial factors influence the relationship between PTSS and PTG.
The author summarized research on the nadir experience, the experience of one of the very lowest points of life. Although a sense of disintegration, powerlessness, and emptiness marks its immediate aftermath, survivors of rape, bereavement, and maritime disasters have shown that a nadir experience can also be an opportunity for personal transformation and psychological growth. Severe trauma is more likely to lead to positive change, and reflection seems to play an important role in this process. Among the positive changes observed are increases in personal well-being, sense of meaning in life, spirituality, inner wisdom, and compassion. The author described how he experienced such positive changes following a nadir experience in his own life. Therapists dealing with persons undergoing the nadir experience should encourage reflection oriented toward the future as well as the past. The author has suggested mindfulness meditation as a useful technique to encourage such reflection.
Building on diverse influences from critical perspectives in vocational psychology and the relational movement in contemporary psychological discourse, this article introduces the relational theory of working. Attending to the full array of people who work and who want to work, the relational theory conceptualizes working as an inherently relational act. A relational theory provides a framework for understanding ways in which working is embedded in external and internal relational contexts. To establish the conceptual infrastructure for the relational theory, several propositions are advanced, which summarize observations and inferences about the intersection of working and relationships and highlight the inherent relational context of working. The article concludes with implications for practice, policy, and research.
Phenomenology is a philosophical movement that approaches the study of human beings and their culture differently from the logical positivist model used in the natural sciences and in special education. phenomenologists view the application of the logical positivist model to the study of human beings as inappropriate because the model does not address the uniqueness of human life. in this article, the theroetical assumptions and methodological orientations of phenomenology are discussed, followed by their applications to ways of doing research in special education.
This article explicates, in a concrete, step-by-step manner, some procedures that can be followed in phenomenologically analyzing interview data. It also addresses a number of issues that are raised in relation to phenomenological research.
In this paper we present a prototype approach to awe. We suggest that two appraisals are central and are present in all clear cases of awe: perceived vastness, and a need for accommodation, defined as an inability to assimilate an experience into current mental structures. Five additional appraisals account for variation in the hedonic tone of awe experiences: threat, beauty, exceptional ability, virtue, and the supernatural. We derive this perspective from a review of what has been written about awe in religion, philosophy, sociology, and psychology, and then we apply this perspective to an analysis of awe and related states such as admiration, elevation, and the epiphanic experience.
This paper reflects on the development of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as one particular qualitative approach to psychology. After a brief introduction to IPA, the paper outlines what can be described as its characteristic features: idiographic, inductive, interrogative, illustrating each feature with examples from studies which have been conducted with IPA. The paper then considers the different levels of interpretation, which are possible with IPA and discusses the notion of when an interpretation is ‘good enough’. It goes on to consider issues around the types of topics for which IPA is suitable and the emerging pattern of work using the approach. The next section considers how IPA studies can widen the type of participants included and also examines the suitability of different data collection methods. The paper finishes by bringing together some thoughts on the future development of IPA.
Phenomenology in the modern sense of the term is dated from 1900 when E. Husserl published
Logical Investigations (1900/1970), although the phenomenological method itself was not explicitly practiced in that work. It was in
Ideas I (1913/1983) that Husserl made the method explicit. It is important to appreciate that to make phenomenological claims in the strongest sense one would have to use some version of the phenomenological method, along with certain other key procedures. That is why the authors first present the philosophcal method as articulated by Husserl, and immediately following, they articulate a scientific version of the phenomenological method. Next, the specific procedures of the phenomenological method are explained, with an example of an analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Existential psychotherapy arose spontaneously in the minds and works of a number of psychologists and psychiatrists in Europe in the 1940s and 1950s who were concerned with finding a way of understanding human beings that was more reliable and more basic than the then-current psychotherapies. The "existential orientation in psychiatry," wrote Ludwig Binswanger, "arose from dissatisfaction with the prevailing efforts to gain scientific understanding in psychiatry" (1956, p. 144). These existential therapists believed drives in Freudian psychology, conditioning in behaviorism, and archetypes in Jungianism all had their own significance. But where was the actual, immediate person to whom these things were happening? Are we seeing patients as they really are, or are we simply seeing a projection of our theories about them? These therapists were keenly aware that we are living in an age of transition, when almost every human being feels alienated from fellow humans, threatened by nuclear war and economic upsets, perplexed by the radical changes in marriage and almost all other mores in our culture--in short, almost everyone is beset by anxiety. Existential psychotherapy is not a specific technical approach that presents a new set of rules for therapy. It asks deep questions about the nature of the human being and the nature of anxiety, despair, grief, loneliness, isolation, and anomie. It also deals centrally with the questions of creativity and love. Out of the understanding of the meaning of these human experiences, existential psychotherapists have devised methods of therapy that do not fall into the common error of distorting human beings in the very effort of trying to help them. Topics covered in this chapter include history, personality, psychotherapy, and applications. A case example of a 50-year-old male is presented. An annotated bibliography and case readings are provided at the end of the chapter. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
What the mental health field now needs most is an adequate theory of behavior change. The field needs a theory that can help explain how people change within and between therapy sessions. The field needs to know how people change before therapy begins, after it ends, and when therapy never occurs.
Topics include: stages of change (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, termination); phases of planned interventions (recruitment, retention, progress, process); and integrating the process of change with common factors (outcomes and impacts). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Emphasizing the individual's perception of self and the external world as critical factors in the understanding of behavior and experience, this collection introduces existential phenomenology as a philosophical and methodological alternative to the more traditional approaches to psychology. The 1st readings are organized to present the basics for understanding existential phenomenology and to show how these research methodologies are applied to psychological issues. Further selections elucidate the theoretical conceptions, research methods, and/or clinical applications of different existential-phenomenological psychologists and provide a supplementary introduction to psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Explored the association between near-death experiences (NDEs) and subsequent attitude changes by administering a life attitude profile questionnaire assessing 7 categories of attitudes to 20 female and 8 male 31–75 yr olds who had had a self-defined NDE. The questionnaire was designed to determine (1) whether an individual is living as he/she desires, (2) whether the individual lacks meaning in his/her life, and (3) the strength of an individual's anticipation of a meaningful existence. Ss were asked to record their perception of their attitude toward each item of the questionnaire before and after the NDE. Findings indicate that with the exception of the category of goal seeking (a measure of restlessness), each category included a significantly greater number of Ss indicating positive changes since the NDE than negative changes or no change. Data support the hypothesis that a more positive attitude toward life results from an NDE. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This article examines traditional and modern psychological characterizations of religiousness and spirituality. Three ways in which religiousness and spirituality are polarized by contemporary theorists are examined: organized religion versus personal spirituality; substantive religion versus functional spirituality; and negative religiousness versus positive spirituality. An alternative approach to understanding religiousness and spirituality is presented that integrates rather than polarizes these constructs, and sets boundaries to the discipline while acknowledging the diversity of religious and spiritual expressions. Directions for future investigations of these two constructs are presented.