Transition to Parenthood after Unexplained Infertility: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Prevalence rates of infertility show that one in every six couples worldwide have experienced fertility problems; however, there is still a relatively high chance of spontaneous conception for couples with unexplained infertility. Nevertheless, most existing research has focused on the infertility experience leading up to potential parenthood, rather than the actual parenting experience itself. Hence, this paper presents an in-depth exploration of the lived experiences and personal meaning of becoming parents of individuals affected by unexplained infertility. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and transcripts were subjected to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four themes emerged: perception of fragility of life, father's embodied emotional connection with child, becoming a parent—identity shift, and imprint of infertility on relationships with a partner. The findings emphasize clinicians’ and researchers’ awareness of the need to process couple's grief and highlight the importance of addressing romantic relationship issues, experienced during the infertility period to facilitate couples transitioning to parenthood.

An Explication of Identity Shift Theory

First articulated in 2008, the concept of identity shift refers to the process of self-transformation that is the result of intentional self-presentation in a mediated context. As research into identity shift has become increasingly prevalent, our understanding of the concept’s mechanisms and constraints has become more detailed and in depth. We now have a greater understanding of the process and limitations of identity shift: an understanding sufficient to begin articulating a theory of identity shift that explains and predicts the intrapersonal effects of mediated self-presentations. The present work advances such a theory. We begin by summarizing and synthesizing extant identity shift work – including published articles, presented manuscripts, and unpublished research – to better understand the identity shift process. We then use this synthesis to articulate an initial theory (identity shift theory; IST) that specifies the processes, conditions, constraints, and effects of identity shift based on personal, psychological, and communicative characteristics. Ultimately, the advancement of identity shift theory can inform future research and practice into the implications of online self-presentation for self-effects.

Leading in Times of Disruption: Reimagining Leadership and Repositioning Leaders

Peter Vaill’s evocative metaphor of “living in permanent whitewater” is very relevant to universities today. Leaders in our institutions (and elsewhere) are navigating unfamiliar territory—and they are doing so without a map. The demands and expectations placed on leaders can be extreme and is testing the abilities of our institutions’ leaders to the extreme. Leaders and leadership paradigms has been disrupted and the old model of fear and control do not work. However, the primary leadership challenge is not simply to develop a new leadership competency model—describing a group of behaviours we expect from our leadership. The deeper challenge is to develop a new mind-set that anchors, informs, and advances these new behaviours. The ability to question your own deeply entrenched assumptions and well-established worldviews, habits and mind-sets will be critical. When unpacking the case for change versus the capacity for change, this chapter surfaced, five kinds of shifts needed to lead in a world characterised by complexity, disruption and uncertainty. I have labelled these shifts as the Awareness shift, the Identity shift, the Mindset shift, the Paradigm shift and lastly the shift from Fear to psychological safety. Are these the only shifts that matter in the current state? I am sure not, we can add many more. But, I believe that these four shifts that demonstrate the complexities of the challenges facing higher education has the potential to reposition and reinvent our leadership for the future.

Changing Attitudes toward Tiananmen?

Chapter 7 discusses the impact of young people’s identity shift on collective remembering of Tiananmen. It examines intergenerational memory transmission in an altered social and political context. It illustrates the extent and characteristics of generational differences on the issue of Tiananmen. In addition, drawing upon sociologist Karl Mannheim’s distinction among generation of location, generation in actuality, and generation unit, the chapter examines why and how some young people came to abandon Tiananmen commemoration, yet others were still recruited into the mnemonic community surrounding Tiananmen.

Making desistance real: Implementing a desistance focused approach in a community rehabilitation company (CRC)

Desistance is now a key focus for probation practice in the United Kingdom. However, how to implement desistance in the workplace has remained challenging, particularly in the absence of practice guidance. This article presents the experience of ‘making desistance real’ in the context of Community Rehabilitation Companies. ‘Identity shift’ is presented as a core component of the desistance approach adopted, and practice designed to support services users to transition to a pro-social identity and their ‘best life’ is presented. The article examines changes in assessment processes and tools, outlines desistance informed interventions, and the engagement of practitioners in delivering desistance.

Exploring The Horizontal Acquisition Of Transnational Identity In Intercultural Relationships In Toronto

While identity shift in the context of migration has been studied in depth, questions of identity in those who have close, love-based relationships with international migrants or descendants of migrants remain underrepresented in the literature. Theoretically framing the research in a cultural studies and constructivist perspective, this study explores the extent to which individuals in intercultural relationships take on components of their partners’ transnational identities and how this process occurs. Interviews were conducted with seven individuals in intercultural relationships with first or second-generation immigrant partners. They explored how an individual’s identity shifts in the context of their relationship to reflect their partner’s transnational identity. The findings demonstrate that individuals embrace components of their partner’s transnational identity through discussion and interaction with both their partner and their partner’s family, suggesting that non-migrant individuals with no familial ties to another region in the world can also engage in transnationalism.

Exploring The Horizontal Acquisition Of Transnational Identity In Intercultural Relationships In Toronto

While identity shift in the context of migration has been studied in depth, questions of identity in those who have close, love-based relationships with international migrants or descendants of migrants remain underrepresented in the literature. Theoretically framing the research in a cultural studies and constructivist perspective, this study explores the extent to which individuals in intercultural relationships take on components of their partners’ transnational identities and how this process occurs. Interviews were conducted with seven individuals in intercultural relationships with first or second-generation immigrant partners. They explored how an individual’s identity shifts in the context of their relationship to reflect their partner’s transnational identity. The findings demonstrate that individuals embrace components of their partner’s transnational identity through discussion and interaction with both their partner and their partner’s family, suggesting that non-migrant individuals with no familial ties to another region in the world can also engage in transnationalism.

‘Remaining the same or becoming another?’ Adaptive resilience versus transformative urban change

Structural change of cities has long been a central theme in urban studies. Recent manifestations of urban change have been described either as instances of ‘adaptation’, often associated with flexible adjustment and reorganisation, or of ‘transformation’, implying a deeper and more radical scope of change. The conceptual difference between these two ideas, however, remains surprisingly under-theorised and ambiguous in the extant literature. We find both notions casually (and at times even interchangeably) employed in recent debates on ‘resilient cities’. Addressing this conceptual imprecision, our commentary focuses on the structure–identity relationship, coupling resilience thinking with an institutional perspective that has provided the intellectual moorings for recent scholarly approaches to city identity. Through this prism, city identity is firmly conceptualised as a distinctive set of socio-political values; the structure of a city, then, provides the means to realise these values. In consequence, we are able to offer a precise conceptual differentiation between what we here dub ‘adaptive resilience’ and ‘transformative urban change’ as the two facets of change in city contexts: if structural change is accompanied by a shift in socio-political values (and thus a change in identity), we refer to this as transformative; if no such identity shift takes place, this is an instance of adaptive urban change, primarily on the level of structures. We illustrate our argument with the empirical case of the city of Vienna. Overall, our commentary’s ambition is to add nuance, clarity and conceptual precision to the debates on resilience currently raging in the field of urban change.