Microsoft Word - 4. Research explorative studies.doc

Europe’s Journal of Psychology 3/2009, pp. 25-44

www.ejop.org

Qualitative Approach to Clinical Psychology. Explorative Studies

Lara Tagliapietra

Psychoterapist

Tatiana Alina Trifan

University of Padua

Laura Raineri

University of Padua

Adriana Lis (coord.)

University of Padua

Abstract

This article is aimed to present a new approach to clinical research and also to

clinical work based on Grounded Theory and on the software developed from it,

Atlas.ti. It includes two practical applications of this software, one is the analysis of a

clinical interview and the other the assessment of nine interviews taken with the Five

Minutes Speech Sample belonging to five couples of parents. As it is presented below,

each analysis was performed as a circular process, starting from the data, grouping

them into categories, creating codes and then returning to the data in order to

sustain them and to establish relations between them. In our view, this is a new and

interesting way of approaching clinical data which gives the clinician the possibility of

developing a deeper understanding of the patient/client without loosing

himelf/herself in the theories of the psychological orientation the psychotherapist

belongs to.

Keywords – Grounded Theory, Five Minutes Speech Sample, clinical psychology,

Atlas.ti, qualitative research, clinical psychology

Europe’s Journal of Psychology

Strass and Corbin, 1990, p. 191

Introduction

“Every human being is building a model of the world based on a combination of

genetically determined factors and the personal experience. A “model”

comprises all the experiences, all the generalizations corresponding to the

experiences and all the rules that govern the generalizations. [...] There are not

two identical models of the world.” (Gordon, D., 1992).

The person we have in front of us is narrating herself and is representing what is

said to her based on her own experience. Generally we try to organize all the

types of input we receive (sensorial, perceptive, cognitive, etc.) in such a manner

that they acquire a significance for us in order to be able to use them later. In

other words, each of us has a subjective representation of reality based on which

we process and filter the inputs that arrive to us form this reality. The way in which

a person perceives and makes representations (symbolizes) of the stimuli is related

to this subjective process of selecting information from the environment (material,

social, etc.). This is a process that selects the data that corresponds to or confirms

our needs and our experiences, more or less pleasant, and at the same time

blocks the entrance in the consciousness of the information perceived as

threatening for the Self.

This universal inclination, to appropriate ourselves of the world based on subjective

schemes, is revealed through language. The way in which we speak and mostly

the way in which we organize our speech (how we speak) is a lent that reveals

our unique point of view, of which we are not always aware (Wittgenstein, 1953).

“We are not trying to generalize but rather to specify. We specify the conditions in

which our phenomena exist, the actions/interactions that they concern and the

associated results and their consequences. This means that our theoretical

formulations are applied to these situations or circumstances and not to others.

When we change the conditions, then the theoretical formulation should also

change in order to adjust itself to the new conditions. The goal of a grounded

theory should be always kept in mind.”

Qualitative Approach to Clinical Psychology. Explorative Studies

In light of the previous assertions it is obvious that we cannot reduce the person to

the symptom, because every person perceives and lives a certain discomfort

differently, based on his/her own experiences and resources.

It is a common idea among psychologists that is more important not what a

person says, but how she says it (Reich, 1958; Jefferson, 1973). For example, if for a

person the expression “feeling bad” may mean a physical sufferance, for another

may mean sadness, for another depression, etc. The discomfort, actually, is

symbolized differently, depending on the person that experiences it.

For this, when one speaks about clinical report, it is worth analyzing also the way in

which the patient/client organizes his speech.

If we are not able to catch the true significance the patient gives to his/her

discomfort, to listen to him/her without preconceived ideas, then we will engage

ourselves for sure in a deaf dialogue without any real benefit for both sides.

In order to reach such an objective, in the pshychoterapeutical environment we

can avail our self of the ideas confirmed by Grounded Theory. Following such a

thinking logic actually is possible to stress some key-words or codes of the patient’s

speech and later to establish cause-effect relations between them.

The relations that emerge in this way will help us understand how the patient

perceives his discomfort, how he lives it and how he relates it with his personal

history. In other words, it helps us create a mental map of the discomfort

perceived by the person. This is a scheme useful for the psychotherapist in order to

create an adequate image of the person, to make intervention hypothesis and

which takes into account not only what the patient says, but “how he says it”.

Often it is not the event that generates the trauma, but the significant that we

assign to it. This is why what for a person has the subjective significant of a big

trauma, for another is just an easy surpassable event.

Grounded Theory

Within scientific research there is always a strong debate between those that

prefer quantitative methods and those who prefer qualitative ones. The first ones

are those that have built the standards in experimental research and in

researches performed on a large number of subjects and which use sampling

Europe’s Journal of Psychology

criteria and statistical analysis techniques. On the other side, the qualitative

method uses procedures of qualitative nature both at the level of collecting the

data as well as the level of analyzing them. The gathering data procedures

include: interviews, group discussions, observations, journals; while the analysis

procedures include coding, categorizations and systematic confrontation

between the categories and their dimensions. Such research is often defined as

an explorative one, opposite to “classical” scientific research aiming to confirm /

disconfirm initial hypothesis.

Among the qualitative methods used in the scientific research we can list: Focus

Group, Speech Analysis, Conversation Analysis, Grounded Theory and

Phenomenological Interpretative Analysis.

One of the frequently used and recognized methods in the academic

environment is the method called Grounded Theory. This method was developed

inside the sociological environment from the collaboration between Glaser and

Strauss which have “discovered” it during a study on the awareness of death

(Glaser e Strauss, 1967). In their work these authors have emphasized how, in the

past, research was performed in an environment artificially separated from the

daily clinical practice and how such artificiality depended on the separation

between the data collection phase and the data analysis phase. Glaser and

Strauss have proved that sociological and psychological theories can base

themselves on qualitative data and that such data should not be seen just as a

support to the quantitative data.

The connection between qualitative and quantitative methods can be

understood in different ways: from some points of view, these methods are

alternative and opposed, while from other points of view these are compatible

and even complementary (Mantovani, 2003).

Glaser and Strauss intended to create a method which would allow them to go

from data to theory, so that theory would emerge from the data in the purest

intuitive way. The theories should emerge during research and should be read

within the data they were grounded in. The methodology suggested by

Grounded Theory allows a wider and more accurate data collection and also

coding in categories which, differently from the traditional content analysis, are

neither predefined nor mutually exclusive. The categories are identified through a

coding process which in the initial phases of the research is mostly descriptive;

with the advancement of the research, which emerges little by little from the

Qualitative Approach to Clinical Psychology. Explorative Studies

data, the researcher produces codes from categories based on the data and on

the context, categories which are not “borrowed” from the pre-existing theories of

the research environment.

What seems like a “discovery” is in reality the result of the researcher’s activity of

mutual influence between the data and the conceptualization emerging little by

little, the data collecting and the analysis not being separate, but

interconnected. The relationship between theory and data cannot be solved in

the favour of one or the other. A characteristic element of Grounded Theory is,

actually, the “circular” conception of the research process. Such circularity leads

the researcher reflecting continuously on the research process and on the single

phases in the light of all the others.

The data analysis happens mainly through a process defined as “coding” which

consists in individualizing a significance or a conceptual category inside the

complex of data which is closer to the subject’s own words. Confronting the

various conceptual categories, one is able to extract a more general significance

starting from the established categories and which can be a base for explaining

the examined phenomena. Such process should happen through a circular path

and not an inductive one. Little by little, through the coding, new hypothesis are

formulated.

It appears clearly how, in this process, the interpretative act of the researcher

becomes explicit. The researcher, working rigorously and systematically, codes

and translates into categories the words of the subjects.

Atlas-Ti

ATLAS-TI is a software for qualitative analysis developed in Germany by Thomas

Muhr in the mid-90’s. This program is based to certain extent on Grounded Theory

because of the flexibility of its operational modalities and the capacity to

generate theories through the interaction between the researcher and the data.

The program offers instruments for visualising the characteristics and the relations

between the data without loosing the complex direction and meanings of the

research. Moreover, it facilitates an intuitive and creative approach to the data,

assuring in the same time a certain systematisation of the research.

Europe’s Journal of Psychology

Atlas was programmed to facilitate the development of a theoretical model firmly

founded on the text, meaning that it produces scientific knowledge putting in

interaction the researcher’s analysis categories with the significances constructed

by the subjects during their speech. The network structure of the program recalls

the usage of interconnection which is based on Grounded Theory.

This is a very versatile program which allows you to make progresses in your

research while advancing on different paths according to the research objectives

established from time to time by the researcher. It allows the researcher to follow

a path closed to that of the “pencil and paper” method, but with the advantage

of making all the operations very fast and systematic and also allows an

immediate interface for the data visualization.

The operations one needs to perform in order to work with ATLAS are: the creation

of hermeneutic units, coding the material, analysis of the relations between the

codes and the visualization of the conceptual maps. Once the coding is

performed, Atlas facilitates the formal organization of the data which make easier

the operations of synthesising the results. It is also easy to recuperate the

quotations from the text and to compare them. With the help of graphic outputs

and the creation of networks one can easily organize and visualize the data

according to the research goals, or, for the analysis, to create mental maps in

order to illustrate theoretical development.

Muhr resumes the logic of Atlas in his so-called vise principle: visualization,

integration, serendipity and exploration. The program allows actually to visualize

the property of the objects and their relations (Visualization), to not lose sight of

the global significance of the texts while working on specific levels (Integration)

and to maintain an intuitive and innovative approach of the texts (Serendipity

and Exploration).

Possible Practical Applications

Analysis of a clinical interview

In these pages we are going to present the analysis of a clinical interview done

with the help of the Atlas-Ti software.

All the codes have been extracted from the speech of the patient and

correspond to the exact words pronounced by the patient, while the relations

Qualitative Approach to Clinical Psychology. Explorative Studies

between the codes were created taking into consideration the order in which

they appeared throughout the interview.

In the quoted example we can find as the central nucleus of the patient’s

discomfort in the depressive cycle:

Iniziativa - Rinuncia/Rifiuto – Delusione – Sentimenti Depressivi

Initiative – Renunciation/Refuse – Disappointment – Depressive Feelings

Such central nucleus is composed of more specific components which represent

the “false believes” of the patient and which condition the way in which s/he

observes and relates with the surrounding environment.

In the analyzed interview, actually, the speech of the patient is organized around

the expression of the following needs and affective states:

* the need to have someone beside (usually associated with their own beliefs),

connected with * the fear of being abandoned and with * the fear of not being

disappointed, which generate * distrust of others (associated with ruminations);

this distrust leads to * the tendency to distance oneself from other people when

one thinks he/she is being judged, which generates the * relating difficulties and,

implicitly, fuels the * panic generated by being abandoned without explanation.

Together with the * feeling of discomfort in interacting with the others, these lead

to the isolation, as part of the depressive cycle (Beck’s depression triad includes

isolation as attitude that fuels the collapse into depression).

Iniziativa
Innitiave

Rinuncia/Rifiuto
Renunciation/Refuse

Delusione
Disappointment

Sentimenti depressivi

Depressive Feelings

Europe’s Journal of Psychology

Beck’s triad (DEPRESSION- ISOLATION- SOCIAL REFUSAL- INCREASING DEPRESSION) can

be presented in this case as a mix of feelings such as disappointment, dysphoria,

anger and discomfort.

The analysis of how the patient organizes his/her speech helps us formulate

diagnostic hypothesis about his/her sufferance without losing sight of the

subjective significance s/he gives to such a pain. Every discomfort, actually,

although called the same, as, for example, depression, can have a completely

different significant in the context of different personalities.

An analysis performed in this way allows us to capture the situations that are

“causing” the depressive feeling inside the patient, and, at the same time, reveals

the mental schemes on which these feelings arise.

The first graphic makes a resume of the mental map of the depressive disorder of

the patient.

Qualitative Approach to Clinical Psychology. Explorative Studies

Graphic 1: Mental Map of the Patient’s Discomfort

is associated with

is part of

is cause of

is part of

is associated with

is part of

is cause of

is part of

is cause of

is associated with is associated with

is associated with

is part of

is cause of

is part of

is cause of

is part of

bisogno di avere qualcuno accanto

cicolo
tentativa-regettazione-delusione
disaggio

delusione

difficolta' relazionali

diffidenza degli altri

disaggiodisforia

disorganizzazione causata
dall'abbandono

famiglia poco supportiva

figlia vista come appoggio della
famiglia

isolamento(cicolo depressivo)

panico generata dall'essere
abbandonata senza spiegazioni

paura di essere abbandonata

paura di non essere delusa

problemi famigliari

rabbia

scarsa sintonizzazione fra lo stile
genitoriale e i bisogni della figlia

sentimento di disaggio
nell'interagire

tendenza di allontanarsi dalle
persone quando pensa di essere
giudicata

tendenza di sminuire i problemi
da parte dei genitori(madre)

autoilusioni

rimuginazioni

Europe’s Journal of Psychology

Analysis of the Five Minutes Speech Interviews through Atlas-Ti

Introduction

In the field of text analysis, Atlas.Ti appears as an extremely useful and versatile

software created especially with the goal of making easier the qualitative

investigation of the contents that constitute the research object. Especially, the

program, exactly for the network model on which it is based, facilitates the

organization of the data and the synthesis of the results based on the guidelines

established by the researcher.

Goal

Assessing 9 Five Minutes Speech interviews belonging to 5 couples of parents (in

one of these couples the father was deceased) through the Atlas-ti software.

Sample description:

Family

Child’s gender

Marital situation

Age

Mother

Work

Mother

Child’s age

N°

sons

F F Married 37 Civil servant 6 years 2

C1 M Married 43 Collaboration 4 years 3

C2 F Married 38 Agriculture 5 years 1 month 2

M F Married 35 Nurse 4 years 1 month 2

D M widow 45 House wife 4 years 7 moths 1

The reading of the interviews with the help of this software makes immediately

visible the distribution of the variables, coded with the help of the Five minutes

speech, for the 5 couples of parents analysed, as represented in Table 1.

Table 1

--------------------------------------------------------------

PRIMARY DOCS

CODES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Totals

---------------------------------------------------------------

Initial negative phr 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Qualitative Approach to Clinical Psychology. Explorative Studies

Neutral initial phra 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4

positive initial phr 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3

positive adjective 1 3 1 0 3 1 3 4 0 16

criticism 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

details referring to 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

insatisfaction 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 5

negative relation 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

neutral relation 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 5

positive relation 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 7

sacrifice 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

statements of attitu 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2

--------------------------------------------------------------

Totals 5 5 7 8 5 4 6 6 3 49

For example, the first subject is distinguishing himself by:

A positive initial phrase

A positive adjective

Positive relations

Statements of attitude.

This type of coding makes the subject fell into the macro-category defined as

“low expressed emotion”.

The same reading can be done for the other 9 subjects.

The next step was that of creating outputs that allowed us an immediate reading

of the expressions (codes) in order to make the difference between high

expressed emotion and low expressed emotion, like in the examples that follow.

The various codes presented in Table 2 indicate the position of the phrase inside

the text: for example, the phrase “our relationship is a good one” was said by the

first subject (P1) in the second sentence of the speech (1:2).

Table 2:

Subject 1: P 1: MAMMA-F

P 1: 1:1 (4:4)

Codes: [frase iniziale positive – initial positive phrase]

è molto… è simpatico – she is very … she is funny

P 1: 1:2 (11:11)

Europe’s Journal of Psychology

Codes: [relazione positive – positive account]

il nostro rapporto è buono – our relationship is a good one

P 1: 1:3 (13:13)

Codes: [aggettivo positive – positive adjective]

è una brava bambina – she is a good girl

P 1: 1:5 (25:27)

Codes: [relazione positive – positive relationship]

poi insieme facciamo tutto ma con tutti – then we do everything but with all the

others

e due perché siamo sempre insieme cioè li portiamo a nuoto, cioè sono sempre con

me i bambini non li lascio quasi mai in giro – and because we are always together

meaning that we take them to swim, meaning the children are always with me, I

never let the children by themselves

P 1: - 1:6 (13:13)

Codes: [statements of attitude]

io le voglio tanto bene – I love my children a lot

LOW EXPRESSED EMOTION

Subject 3: C1 MAMMA

P 3: - 3:1 (3:3)

Codes: [frase iniziale neutral – initial neutral phrase]

Dunque non è che stiamo molto insieme perché io lavoro e poi anche quando sono

a casa va beh ci sono i lavori e cucino e stiro, magari ci sono le cose di casa sicche

stiamo poco, cioè anche se stiamo insieme lui guarda la televisione e io faccio altre

cose, - So, is not like we spend so much time together because I work and even when

I’m at home, well, there are a lot of things and a cook and iron, maybe there are

things to do in the house and this is why we spend so little time together, meaning that

even when we are together he watches TV and I’m doing other things

P 3: - 3:2 (3:3)

Codes: [criticismo - criticism]

Qualitative Approach to Clinical Psychology. Explorative Studies

è terribile – he is terrible

P 3:- 3:3 (3:3)

Codes: [criticismo - criticism]

è schizzato – he is agitated

P 3: - 3:4 (3:3)

Codes: [aggettivo positive – positive adjective]

mi sembra che sia un bambino intelligente, anche troppo – it seems to me that he is a

very intelligent child, even too much

P 3: - 3:5 (3:3)

Codes: [relazione negative – negative relationship]

non ho tanta pazienza io con lui, non ne ho proprio, esplodo, urlo, esagero – I do not

have much patience with him, I do not have any patience at all, I explode, scream,

exagerate

P 3: - 3:6 (3:3)

Codes: [insoddisfazione – insatisfaction]

ecco non vedo l’ora che cresca così dopo spero che si arrangi, beh lui è nato… è

nato per sbaglio nel senso che non lo volevamo, e allora ogni tanto mi capita di dire

e di pensare che se non ci fosse forse sarebbe meglio – look, I just want him to grow

up and like this he can take care of himself, well he was born... but he was born by

mistake meaning that we didn’t want him, and every now and then happens to me

to say and think that it would have been better without him

P 3: - 3:7 (3:3)

Codes: [relazione negative – negative relationship]

poi io avevo lavato e lui per dispetto andava sopra – then after cleaning the floor, he

walk on disrespectfully

Table 3 reproduces, through graphs, the “quotations” or better said the

expressions with which the mothers belonging to the two macro-categories,

“HIGH EXPRESSED EMOTION” and “LOW EXPRESSED EMOTION”, have described

HIGH EXPRESSED EMOTION

Europe’s Journal of Psychology

their child. At the same time, for each mother the presence and the quality of

variables coded by the “FIVE” interview (initial phrase; relation; adjectives; etc.) is

visible. Given the small sample used for the study, only one mother enters the

macro-category “HIGH EXPRESSED EMOTION”.

The first graphic shows that, when speaking about her own child, this mother tends

to use mostly negative descriptions. Actually, throughout the discourse, feelings of

insatisfaction and devaluating representations prevail and these interweave with

difficult relationships.

This is the case of an unwanted child, born in an adult couple that has older

children. The qualitative analysis of the text shows clearly the difficulties the

mother has in understanding the behaviour of her own child, described as

“terrible”, “agitated”, a child that, “if one doesn’t give him what he asks, goes out

of his mind”, therefore with a low tolerance to frustration.

The experienced discomfort is so powerful that this mother is induced to think that

“it would have been better without him”. These are very aggressive thoughts that

can urge feelings of guilt.

This type of narration in its complexity reveals the severe difficulties present in the

relationship between this mother and her son. This is a high risk situation, which

may be helped through interventions oriented toward the sustainment both of the

mother in her parenting role and of the child in his development.

The analysis of the organization of the speech points out the incoherencies in the

mother’s description of her child. She starts speaking neutrally about him, (*neutral

account), continues with severe devaluations (*criticism), and arrives at

employing a positive adjective which is cancelled by an ulterior devaluation. This

extreme variability in the way of narrating about her son emphasizes the fragility

and the lake of stability of the maternal representation. In her speech, the

negative aspects actually prevail. The interview ends with other devaluations both

of the relationship with her son and of her maternal experience.

This type of assessment is in agreement with the assertions of the literature in the

field that states that patients living in “HIGH EE” environments are at a higher risk of

developing psychiatric disorders (Humbeeck, Audenhove, Hert, Pieters e Storms,

2002) comparatively with patients coming from a “LOW EE” environment.

Qualitative Approach to Clinical Psychology. Explorative Studies

The second graphic shows the expressions used by the mothers belonging to the

“LOW EXPRESSED EMOTION” category. When confronted with the previous

graphic, one can see the diversity with which these mothers tend to describe their

own child.

There are missing, actually, in their sentences, the negative and devaluating

terms, while the positive adjectives prevail, as: “brave”, “attentive”, “really good

girl” and the kind accounts.

As for the previous narration, the resulting familiar environment is a serene one,

with a major reciprocity in the mother–son dyad and with an adequate emotional

atmosphere.

We’ve granted a special attention to the family in which the father is missing,

represented with the help of ATLAS.ti in the third graphic.

The mother relates her relationship with her own child using exclusively neutral

terms, lacking that special warmth that is specific to the mother–son relation. This

mother–son couple seems frozen in the experience of mourning the father’s

death. The emotions seem isolated as a defence and the words are cleared from

any recall to feelings, maybe because these are too painful to bear. The only

emotion that is allowed to exist is a depressive one and refers exactly to the

mourning, as it emerges from the mother’s words:

“Yes, before I saw him happier, saying the truth, this when his father

lived. Silence. Something is missing, and it’s normal, it is not as it used to

be and I am aware of it, I do not know myself what to do, sometimes a

friend of his comes and they play together and he cares about him, he

has the same age as V., and in those moments I see him a bit happier.

Yes, he is ok while with me, but something is missing, yes.”

If we analyse “how” this mother narrates about her child, the poverty of her style

drags our attention. Comparatively with other mothers she uses both few words

and few evaluations of her relationship with her son. Even more, her evaluations

are lacking affectivity. She starts her speech using initially a neutral phrase and

finishes it with another neutral one.

Europe’s Journal of Psychology

Table 3

Graphic 1: High Expressed Emotion

CF:mamma castelan- high critical

frase iniziale neutra aggettivo positivo

criticismo

insoddisfazione

relazione negativa
[3:2][3] è terribile
--------------------
è terribile

[3:3][3] è schizzato
--------------------
è schizzato

[3:4][3] mi sembra che sia un bambino i..
--------------------
mi sembra che sia un bambino
intelligente, anche troppo

[3:5][3] non ho tanta pazienza io con l..
--------------------
non ho tanta pazienza io con lui, non ne
ho proprio, esplodo, urlo, esagero

[3:6][3] ecco non vedo l’ora che cresca..
--------------------
ecco non vedo l’ora che cresca così
dopo spero che si arrangi, beh lui è
nato… è nato per sbaglio nel senso che
non lo volevamo, e allora ogni tanto mi
capita di dire e di pensare che se non ci
fosse forse sarebbe meglio

[3:7][3] poi io avevo lavato e lui per ..
--------------------
poi io avevo lavato e lui per dispetto
andava sopra,

[3:8][3] Dunque non è che stiamo molto
..
--------------------
Dunque non è che stiamo molto insieme

Qualitative Approach to Clinical Psychology. Explorative Studies

Graphic 2: Low Expressed Emotion

aggettivo positivo

relazione positiva - 2

[5:2][3] è troppo brava
--------------------
è troppo brava

[5:3][3] adesso magari coloriamo faccia..
--------------------
adesso magari coloriamo facciamo quelle
cose li

[5:4][3] è gentile
--------------------
è gentile

[5:5][3] è buona
--------------------
è buona

[5:6][3] Allora io di parole non è che ..
--------------------
Allora io di parole non è che sono una
gran parlante, comunque per me io e lei il
rapporto tra noi penso che è un po’
poco, nel senso a causa del lavoro, degli
impegni del lavoro, non la vivo come
dovrei viverla.

frase iniziale neutrafrase iniziale positiva

statements of attitude

[1:1][4] è molto… è simpatica
--------------------
è molto… è simpatica

[1:2][11] il nostro rapporto è buono
--------------------
il nostro rapporto è buono

[1:3][13] è una brava bambina
--------------------
è una brava bambina

[1:5][25] poi insieme facciamo tutto ma ..
--------------------
poi insieme facciamo tutto ma con tutti
e due perché siamo sempre insieme cioè
li portiamo a nuoto, cioè sono sempre
con
me i bambini non li lascio quasi mai in giro

[1:6][13] io le voglio tanto bene
--------------------
io le voglio tanto bene

[7:1][3] Margherita è una bambina
molto..
--------------------
Margherita è una bambina molto solare,
molto aperta e comunicativa,[7:2][3] è molto attenta

--------------------
è molto attenta

[7:3][3] molto curiosa
--------------------
molto curiosa

[7:4][3] ama molto gli animali, ha una ..
--------------------
ama molto gli animali, ha una passione
per i cavalli

[7:5][3] E poi con me lei è intanto mol..
--------------------
E poi con me lei è intanto molto attenta
alle espressioni, agli atteggiamenti che
abbiamo, e capisce se non è il momento di
fare le birichinate o di essere un po’ così

[7:6][3] È molto coccola, le piace tant..
--------------------
È molto coccola, le piace tanto fare le
coccole e ogni tanto “facciamoci le
coccole” e viene qui ti abbraccia, ti bacia
tutto, ecco,

relazione neutra

[9:1][3] Silenzio. Bo. Delle volte un p..
--------------------
Silenzio. Bo. Delle volte un po’ chiuso,
delle volte mi confida qualcosa.

[9:2][3] Il nostro rapporto è un bel ra..
--------------------
Il nostro rapporto è un bel rapporto, nel
senso che io sono sensibile anche io e
quindi si, forse lo vizio un po’ troppo e
tutto quello che mi chiede glielo prendo e,
non so dire di no ecco.

[9:3][3] si chiacchieriamo, magari gli ..
--------------------
si chiacchieriamo, magari gli racconto una
favola così, gli leggo un libro piuttosto
che.. si gioco poco e dopo mi stanco
ecco.

Europe’s Journal of Psychology

Graphic 3:

CF:mamma_delon

frase iniziale neutrarelazione neutra

[9:1][3] Silenzio. Bo. Delle volte un p..
--------------------
Silenzio. Bo. Delle volte un po’ chiuso,
delle volte mi confida qualcosa.

[9:3][3] si chiacchieriamo, magari gli ..
--------------------
si chiacchieriamo, magari gli racconto una
favola così, gli leggo un libro piuttosto
che.. si gioco poco e dopo mi stanco
ecco.

Romantic Support Seeking, Caregiving, and Conflict Management Behaviours

Conclusions and possible follow-ups

As one can see, this software helped us to build a coherent representation of the

key-elements that emerged from our analysis.

The same process can be performed on the fathers’ interviews and then compare

them with the mothers’ FIVEs, or, by taking into consideration other variables, such as

the age of the parents, the presence of siblings, etc. And this program can be also

used for other goals related to the parental representation, if we stay centred just on

this instrument (FIVE).

These techniques can be used not only for the analysis of this particular instrument

we have chosen for the current presentation, but also for many other instruments

that require a rather qualitative approach.

References

Mantovani, G., Spagnolli, A. (2003): Metodi qualitativi in psicologia. Bologna, Il Mulino

Van Humbeeck, G., Van Audenhove Ch., Pieters, G., De Hert, M. Storms, G. (2002).

Expressed Emotion: a review of assessment instruments. Clinical Psychology Review, 22

Glaser, B. D. (1978). Advances in the methodology of Grounded Theory: Theoretical

sensitivity. Mill Valley, California: Sociology Press.

Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of Grounded Theory: strategies for

qualitative research. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

Gordon, D. (1992), Metafore terapeutiche, Astrolabio, Roma

Strauss, Anselm/ Corbin, Juliet (1990): Basics of Qualitative Research. Grounded Theory-

Procedures and Techniques. (Sage Publ., Part I), Newbury Park., page 191

About the authors:

Lara Tagliapietra

She is a psychotherapist specialized in child’s psychology. Over the years she had

multiple collaborations both with public and with private entities on psychological

Europe’s Journal of Psychology

assessment and support. She also teaches psychodiagnosis and psycholinguistic classes.

From children’s assessment to adolescents’ emotional education, she had shown a keen

interest in finding new approaches that will improve her pasychotherapeutical work.

Laura Raineri

She has a BA on Psychological Sciences of the Personality and Interpersonal

Relationships (2006) and a specialization in Clinical Psychology – Psychodynamic

approach (2008). Presently she is finishing her apprenticeship at the University of Padua,

Italy, Faculty of Psychology, participating at the sessions of the S.A.P. sessions

(psychological assistance for students), to the Selma Freiberg Laboratory and to various

research projects and from September she will attend the Mara Selvini Palazzoli School

of Systemic Psychotherapy. During the years she has attended various training courses

on psychodiagnostic instruments (WISC, WAIS, ORT, RORSCHACH EXNER, TAT, CAT, etc.)

and has also participated to conferences and seminars regarding children and family

assessment. She had also made developments on the CAT assessment and currently is

working with processing instruments (Atlas.ti, Spad.t), trying to improve the clinical

assessment through qualitative instruments.

Tatiana Alina Trifan

She has a BA on Psychology (2005) at the University of Bucharest, Romania, Faculty of

Psychology and Educational Sciences, a MA in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapies at the

Titu Maiorescu University (2007), Faculty of Psychology and a predoctorat (2nd level

Master) in clinical psychotherapy and psychodiagnosis (psychodynamic approach)

(2008) at the University of Padua, Italy. She has performed researches both in the clinical

and in the organizational field, with traditional psychodianostic instruments as well as

with modern ones, showing a keen interest in the complementarity between qualitative

and the quantitative approach. She has various training courses on psychodiagnostic

instruments (WISC, WAIS, RORSCHACH EXNER, ORT, TAT, CAT, etc.) and during her work

within the field of drug addiction she had developed an instrument that combines both

the qualitative aspects and the quantitative ones. From January till June 2010 she has

obtained a free-research grant on the assessment and support for the people

diagnosed with psychosomatic disorders.