scholarly journals Contending with Spiritual Reductionism: Demons, Shame, and Dividualising Experiences Among Evangelical Christians with Mental Distress

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher E. M. Lloyd
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Evangelical Christians ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
Whole Person ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Secular Institutions

AbstractThe belief that mental distress is caused by demons, sin, or generational curses is commonplace among many evangelical Christian communities. These beliefs may have positive or negative effects for individuals and groups. Phenomenological descriptions of these experiences and the subjective meanings associated with them, however, remain somewhat neglected in the literature. The current study employed semi-structured interviews with eight evangelical Christians in order to idiographically explore their experiences of mental distress in relation to their faith and wider communities. Through an interpretative phenomenological analysis, two superordinate themes were constructed: negative spiritualisation and negotiating the dialectic between faith and the lived experience of mental distress. Participants variously experienced a climate of negative spiritualisation, whereby their mental distress was demonised and dismissed, and they were further discouraged from seeking help in secular institutions and environments. Participants often considered such dismissals of their mental distress as unhelpful and stigmatising and experienced heightened feelings of shame and suffering as a result. Such discouragement also contributed to the process of othering and relational disconnection. Alongside a rejection of church teachings, which exclusively spiritualised psychological distress, participants negotiated a nuanced personal synthesis of faith, theology, and distress, which assumed a localised and idiographic significance. This synthesis included advocating for the uptake of aetiological accounts, which contextualised mental distress in terms of the whole person and resisted de-politicised, dichotomised, and individualistic narratives. Results are discussed in relation to a broad range of literature in the field, while further research suggestions are provided.

Living with Heart Failure during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 105477382110166
Author(s):  
Alessia Martina Trenta ◽  
Davide Ausili ◽  
Rosario Caruso ◽  
Cristina Arrigoni ◽  
Massimo Moro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Hospital Organization ◽  
Challenging Situation ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Negative Feelings

This study aimed to explore lived experience of patients with heart failure (HF) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study was conducted using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Data collection performed in March-May 2020, using in-depth, semi-structured interviews on a purposive sample. Data were analyzed according to the IPA methodology, and triangulation, bracketing, journaling, and member checking were used to assure rigor. 14 patients with HF were enrolled, and three main themes described their lived experience during the COVID-19 pandemic: Vulnerability, Hanging in the balance, and Coping strategies. These people felt particularly vulnerable to the novel virus and experienced uncertainty due to hospital organization changes. Because of this, they felt like they were hanging in the balance, experiencing various negative feelings. Nevertheless, they managed to deal with this challenging situation by implementing some peculiar coping strategies. The COVID-19 represents a significant challenge for patients with HF, impacting significantly on their lives.

scholarly journals Understanding the lived experience of British non-offending paedophiles

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-81
Author(s):  
Harriet Dymond ◽  
Simon Duff
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Sexual Attraction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Research into paedophilia mainly uses offender samples; thus, little is understood about non-offending paedophiles. The limited body of research has been conducted in North America or Europe whose health and legal systems differ from those in the UK. Using semi-structured interviews, the purpose of this study is to explore the experience of three non-offending British paedophilic males. Design/methodology/approach The interview discussed their paedophilia, refraining from offending and perspectives on treatment initiatives. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings Three superordinate themes emerged: “paedophilia as more than a sexuality,” “acceptance leads to management” and “barriers to support.” These encapsulated how paedophilia was understood, how accepting one’s sexual attraction is tantamount to well-being and the various obstacles to providing support were discussed. Research limitations/implications Acknowledging the sampling considerations (size and recruitment), the results implicate research into paedophilia. The onset of paedophilia was chronologically associated with typical sexual attraction, and not the result of sexual abuse as some theories suggest. Furthermore, the tenets of attraction to children extending beyond sexual desire were highlighted. Practically, the results influence future research into the area and highlight the dearth in our understanding of diverse behavioural management techniques (i.e. computerised images of children or human-like dolls). Originality/value This paper presents novel insight into the aspects of paedophilia, excluding offensive behaviour and highlights the need for affordable, UK-based services targeted towards people with a paedophilic attraction to manage child sexual abuse preventatively and not reactively.

Taught resilience programmes: a case study from the perspective of employees of a large pharmaceutical company based in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-129
Author(s):  
Frances Costello
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Resilience ◽  
Personal Resilience ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact

PurposeResearch was undertaken to understand whether taught resilience programmes which highlight the protective factors of resilience would impact individual resilience outcomes. The research focussed on specific resilience dimensions, change agility, physical, emotional and mental resilience, purpose in life and recovery; in an attempt to bridge the gap in understanding whether it is possible through taught programmes to improve resilience through the creation of new habits.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted using interpretative phenomenological analysis methods and used semi-structured interviews with 12 participants to understand participants lived experience of a one-day personal resilience programme, conducted within a private global manufacturing organisation.FindingsThe research found that all 12 participants interviewed 12–18 months post-programme made sustainable habits changes increasing personal resilience levels. Participants built new habits into their everyday lives, in the physical dimension exercising more regularly, taking breaks, changes in nutrition and creating better sleep patterns. Through increased understanding of emotional intelligence participants were able to react more favourably to adverse situations and through mental increased resilience focus achieve work and home priorities. In understanding the change journey participants found that they were able to move more quickly through the change cycle. Almost all participants found understanding their life purpose difficult and were not able to give a conclusive answer to what this might be, they found that attending the programme helped reflection in this dimension.Originality/valueThe paper includes an overview of previous resilience research but differs in its examination of the impact of a specific taught resilience programme in a large private sector organisation using IPA methodology.

The lived experience of Buddhist-oriented religious coping in late life: Buddhism as a cognitive schema

2019 ◽  
pp. 135910531988274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianbin Xu
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Religious Coping ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Cognitive Schema ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Coping Methods ◽  
Mantra Meditation

This article explores how older Buddhists in Singapore use Buddhist beliefs and practices to cope with stress. Semi-structured interviews with six older Buddhists were conducted. Interview transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Data analysis identified three ways of Buddhist-oriented religious coping: meaning-making coping, meditative coping, and ego-transcendence coping. In meaning-making coping, participants employed the notions of karma and duḥkha to make sense of stress. Participants’ meditative coping methods included visualization and mantra meditation. During ego-transcendence coping, participants drew on the notion of non-attachment to the ego. The three ways of Buddhist-oriented religious coping can be examined in a Buddhism-as-cognitive-schema perspective.

Having a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder in a forensic setting: a qualitative exploration

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Jade Lovell ◽  
Gillian Hardy
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Forensic Setting

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the lived experience of having a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in a forensic setting. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight women with a diagnosis of BPD in private secure units. The interview data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Findings – Four main themes emerged: identity, power, protection and containment, and confusion. The themes of identity, power and protection and containment represented polarised positions which in turn contributed to the theme of confusion. Research limitations/implications – There are limitations to this study mainly the heterogeneous nature of the sample. However, good quality control and the similarities with previous findings indicate that this study makes a valuable contribution to the understanding of BPD in a forensic setting. In addition it has implications for further research; exploring sense of self and the differences between a sample from a community and a sample from a forensic setting with a diagnosis of BPD. Practical implications – For practitioners to acknowledge power dynamics and to be able to formulate and address these with patients with a diagnosis of BPD. Originality/value – This is the first IPA study to ask women with a diagnosis of BPD in a forensic setting what their experience is. It is a qualitative study due to the need to genuinely explore the topic and to provide a basis for others to conduct further research.

scholarly journals Participation in creative workshops supports mental health consumers to share their stories of recovery: A one-year qualitative follow-up study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243284
Author(s):  
Maddy Slattery ◽  
Hayley Attard ◽  
Victoria Stewart ◽  
Helena Roennfeldt ◽  
Amanda J. Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Group Setting ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Health Consumers ◽  
Health Consumers ◽  
One Year

Participation in creative activities has been linked with positive outcomes for people with mental illness. This longitudinal qualitative study is a one-year follow-up of eight mental health consumers who participated in a series of creative workshops in Brisbane, Australia that aimed to increase participants’ capacity and skills in sharing their stories of recovery with others. It also sought to understand successful factors of the creative workshops to inform future workshops. Semi-structured interviews gathered information regarding participants’ memories of the workshops and how they had shared their stories with others over the preceding 12 months. Interpretative phenomenological analysis identified that participants’ enjoyed being engaged in a range of creative mediums in a group setting; that peer mentor support was highly valued; and that participants’ recovery stories had become more positive and were shared more often and openly with others. Overall, participation in the creative workshops had long-lasting benefits for participants with respect to improved confidence and understanding about their illness. Future creative workshops should consider the inclusion of peer mentors with lived experience as a support for participants to reauthor their recovery story.

scholarly journals You don’t see the world through the same eyes any more: The impact of sexual offending work on police staff

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 316-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Parkes ◽  
Nicola Graham-Kevan ◽  
Jo Bryce
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Workplace Trauma ◽  
Clinical Models ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
The Impact

This paper examines the experiences of police staff in England who work with sexual offence material (SOM). Eleven officers completed a questionnaire then took part in semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed in two stages: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to illuminate the ‘lived experience’ of participants, and establish a theme structure. Clinical models of workplace trauma were then employed to explore the theme ‘Impact of working with sexual offending’. Impact includes cognitive intrusions and increased suspiciousness. The authors identify where officers’ accounts intersect with nascent symptoms of both Vicarious Traumatisation (McCann and Pearlman, 1990) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

scholarly journals The experience and perceived impact of group singing for men living with cancer: A phenomenological study

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 874-889
Author(s):  
Katey Warran ◽  
Daisy Fancourt ◽  
Rosie Perkins
Keyword(s):  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Whole Person ◽  
The Face ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
Living With Cancer ◽  
Cancer Experience

The aim of this study was to explore the experience and perceived impact of group singing for men with cancer. Through the lens of phenomenology, semi-structured interviews were carried out with five patients with prostate cancer, focusing on their experience of cancer, singing, and the perceived impact of the choir. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four superordinate themes emerged from the data: (a) meeting existential changes; (b) dynamic connection to others; (c) a holistic experience; (d) a positive experience. The experience of singing was viewed by participants as: something positive; a social experience; an ineffable experience; an activity that engages the whole person. The perceived impact of singing included: providing support in the face of the existential uncertainty brought about by having cancer; a dynamic connection to others; fulfilment; enhanced wellbeing; finding some form of benefit from the cancer experience. These results indicate that group singing has potential as an appropriate intervention for men living with cancer. This study, though small-scale, sheds some light on how to deliver holistic healthcare and how to optimise current choirs in health settings.

Studying the Influence of the Academic Teachings of Counseling Students and Graduates on Their Perspectives about Marriage and Marital Relationships: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nafise Soufy ◽  
Yaser Madani ◽  
Somaye Shahmoradi
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Premarital Counseling ◽  
Marital Relationships ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Effects

Aim: The present study was conducted to study the lived experiences of graduate students in the field of counseling and to examine the influence of their education process on their views on marriage and marital relationships. Methods: The method of this research was qualitative and phenomenological in type. Participants in this study were 16 graduate students, selected through purposeful sampling. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews. Findings: In the dimension of positive experiences, 4 main themes were obtained that included raising awareness, growing awareness of personal abilities, improving interpersonal communication skills, and experiences around marriage. Finally, the following themes of the main categories are understood: self-awareness, increasing awareness of other people's personality traits, growing self-confidence, feeling beneficial, improvement of family and social relationships, achieving a systemic view in the family, increasing empathy, control emotions, changes in attitudes toward premarital acquaintance and emphasis on premarital counseling, new attitudes about marriage, importance of awareness about premarital counseling, and changes in gender stereotypes (in male participants). In the dimension of negative experiences, the main themes included experiences related to the phenomenon of marriage and negative effects on relationships. The following themes were extracted: decreased emotional excitement about the partner, increased sensitivity and obsession in relationships, change in attitudes toward men (on the part of female participants), creating a sense misunderstanding in family and social relationships due to differences in the level of knowledge, and existence of some level of irrational expectations from graduates in this field. Conclusion: According to the findings, the lived experience of participants showed that studying counseling can influence the personal life and perspective about marriage and marital relationships from different aspects.

scholarly journals Caring for a Dying Partner: The Male Experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Judd ◽  
Helen Guy ◽  
Ruth A. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Support ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Conflicting Demands ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Male Experience

Objective: Caring for someone close who is dying, such as a spouse, is an emotive experience; however, there is little research examining the phenomenon of caregiving for a spouse at the end of life and of men’s experiences specifically. Existing literature suggests that men who are providing care are less likely to seek help than women, especially psychological and emotional support for themselves. The aim of the current study was to explore the lived experiences of men caring for a dying spouse or partner and their help-seeking for themselves during this time. Methods: Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with men caring for their partner, who was receiving palliative care. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Three superordinate themes emerged from the data, “Illness Questions Everything,” “Constructing the Caring Role,” and “Help-Seeking at the Limit.” The arrival of a terminal illness into a partnership is traumatic, and while it can deepen relationships, it can also create distance. The carer role has conflicting demands and carers need to make sense of their experience in order for the carer role to be constructed as a source of purpose or meaning. Finally, the idea of seeking help for oneself as a carer during this time is seen as “incompatible,” unmanageable, and can only be considered if constructed as a “last resort.” Significance of Results: Men care too; however, they can feel confused by this role and unsure as to how this fits with their identity as a man. They make sense of this by identifying as a partner whose “duty” or “responsibility” is to provide care. Although this is an understandable stance, it puts them at risk of further emotional, psychological, and physiological difficulties if their own needs are not met. Men need to be supported during this time and their caring qualities need to be destigmatized and demystified so that they can feel more able to identify with the role and look after themselves while caring for their dying partner.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document