Qualitative Interpretation (QI) Exam Notes - LA PDF

**B5: Qualitative Interpretation (QI)** **Exam Notes - LA** *Source: Carla Willig, QI and Analysis in Psychology* **QI is about:** - making meaning - producing models - weaving narratives - creating understanding Interpretation = construction of meaning \> focus on "What something me...

**B5: Qualitative Interpretation (QI)** **Exam Notes - LA** *Source: Carla Willig, QI and Analysis in Psychology* **QI is about:** - making meaning - producing models - weaving narratives - creating understanding Interpretation = construction of meaning \> focus on "What something means" - Can happen automatically - Can be a conscious process - In Psychotherapy/ Psychology it's a deliberate interpretation **History** - Historically: a formal, purposeful self-conscious activity first emerged in late classical antiquity: focus on interpreting, difficult/ obscure mythical / religious documents -- a will to understand ancient texts in a modern context - The art of interpretation /hermeneutics: law, the bible and philological hermeneutics - Friedrich Schleiermacher (early 19^th^ century) & Wilhelm Dilthy (end of 19^th^ century): - Interpretation as a human endeavor -- when we try to understand spoke on written language/ human acts **4 Vignettes** 1. Tango -- co-created through interaction, context of reciprocity, interpretation dynamic, body language, rhythm and intention 2. Crime Detection -- Suspicion & hidden meanings -- theory driven 3. Psychotherapy -- empathic interpretation 6 subjectivity 4. Dating -- Social & cultural **Approaches** - Interpretation can generate different understandings depending on what is being looked for/ which aspects are focused on - Better understanding of intended meaning - Identify the authors unconscious / untended communication - A better understanding of social, political, historical, cultural, economic CONTEXT - Social / psychological functions of what is being expressed - The nature and quality of a more general concept **Epistemology**: how we interpret the world and / experience things Observers effect -- who is asking / what is being interpreted, who is the person asking the questions **Qualitative research** = focused on the quality/ texture of human experience, how people construct & communicate meaning social contexts, Prefer 'analysis' to 'interpretation' Relationship between qualitative research and interpretation uneasy **Possible questions** **1. What are the origins of interpretation as a formal, purposeful activity and what is the well-** **known synonym for it? (slide 8)** - Historically: a formal, purposeful self-conscious activity first emerged in late classical antiquity: focus on interpreting, difficult/ obscure mythical / religious documents -- a will to understand ancient texts in a modern context - The art of interpretation /hermeneutics: law, the bible and philological hermeneutics - Friedrich Schleiermacher (early 19^th^ century) & Wilhelm Dilthey (end of 19^th^ century): - Interpretation as a human endeavor -- when we try to understand spoke on written language/ human acts - **Origins:** Interpretation as a formal practice started in late classical antiquity, primarily in legal, biblical, and literary hermeneutics. - **Synonym:** The well-known synonym for interpretation is **hermeneutics** **2. Describe briefly, what are the underpinnings of interpretation? (slide 12)** - Interpretation results from the assumptions that the interpreter makes about what is important/ worth paying attention to, can be learned from the text - Epistemological position taken before the process of interpretation - The interpreters ethical / political viewpoints - Frame of reference (about ourselves and others, the world) in each setting: - personal - psychotherapy practice / research - **Beliefs and assumptions** about what is meaningful. - **Epistemological stance** (what can be known from data). - **Ethical considerations** about power and responsibility in meaning-making. **3. Describe briefly, what is "Suspicious Interpretation" and its main characteristics. (slide 16)** Suspicious interpretation: WHAT IS SAID Get the truth of the matter - Appearances as cues to a more significant meaning (= detective vignette & psychoanalysis) - Is theory driven -- only the tip of the iceberg - To experience is not the same as understanding - An approach where the researcher assumes that participants\' accounts may not fully reveal the underlying structures, power dynamics, or unconscious motivations influencing their experiences. Instead of taking responses at face value, the researcher looks for hidden meanings, contradictions, or ideological influences shaping - Eg. A researcher studying workplace satisfaction interviews employees who express contentment with their jobs. Instead of accepting their responses as straightforward, the researcher critically analyzes how corporate culture, economic pressures, or fear of job insecurity might be shaping their statements, revealing a potential discrepancy between their expressed satisfaction and deeper feelings of dissatisfaction or exploitation. 4\. Describe briefly, what is "Emphatic Interpretation" and its main characteristics. (slide 17) Empathic: - Elaboration & amplification of the meaning in the material - Aim -- to fill in the gaps and find out the underlying meaning - The interpreter -- needs to enter the phenomena/ the world of the patient -- to understand it from within - Generate a shared understanding - Data derived -- no importing of external concepts/ideas/ emotions - Understanding what the phenomenon means to the person's subjective experience \> increases the validity of the interpretation - Seeks to **understand meaning from within** the phenomenon.\\n - Focuses on **completing the picture** rather than reducing it.\\n - Example: Understanding a person's emotions in therapy without imposing external theories - A researcher studying the experiences of first-time mothers conducts interviews where participants describe their emotions, challenges, and joys. Rather than analyzing their responses for societal influences or contradictions, the researcher deeply engages with their stories, emphasizing how they personally experience and interpret motherhood in their own words. 5. Explain the relationship between Suspicious and Emphatic Interpretation. (slide 18) **Suspicious interpretation**: focus on explanation **Empathic interpretation**: focus on understanding - Both are required to gain a full understanding, on their own they are insufficient to get a complete picture - Paradoxal dynamic of QI \> An objective / neutral view is not possible - = to make sense of something we need to adopt a perspective of interest to ask questions - \> this shapes how we see something and where our perspective of interest takes us- interpreters are not robots but feel things too This is reflected in the hermeneutic circle \> parts of a whole can only be understood based on understanding a whole thing, but the understanding of the parts is only understood the basis of the parts In QI \> when interpreting on a conscious level and as a purpose-focused activity consideration of: Ontological (***nature of reality***) = refers to what is real and how reality is understood. In qualitative research, different ontological perspectives range from **realism** (believing in an objective reality independent of human perception) to **relativism** (believing reality is shaped by social, cultural, and individual interpretations is important & adopt a position in relation to empathic and suspicious interpretation Epistemological (***nature of knowledge*** )explore how knowledge is constructed, whether it is subjective, co-created between researcher and participant, or influenced by language and culture. For example, constructivist approaches argue that knowledge is socially constructed rather than objectively discovered. EG. **realist ontological** stance might assume that trauma has universal effects on individuals, whereas a **relativist epistemological** stance might argue that how people understand and articulate trauma depends on cultural and personal narratives. - **Understanding Meaning:** - **Author's intent** - **Unconscious communication** - **Social and cultural context** - **Psychological and social function** - **Example:** Multiple interpretations of *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* (moral allegory, Freudian analysis, substance addiction, etc.) - **Frame of Reference:** Interpretations are shaped by beliefs, epistemological stance, and ethical considerations. - **Types of Interpretative Approaches:** - **Empathic interpretation:** Understand from within. - **Suspicious interpretation:** Uncover hidden meanings. - **Balance needed:** Empathy helps understanding, suspicion helps explanation. 6. **What types of orientations to the interpretation are in use in qualitative research?** (slide 29) Research interviews are focused on knowledge production - In data analysis, the patients words are not only taken at face value - Research relationship different to therapeutic - Less emotionally safe, short-lived - - Attention to what is not said - Attention to verbal & non-verbal data 7. **Explain the ethical challenges of psychoanalytic research.** (slides 30, 31) Ethical challenges of psychoanalytical interview - The dynamic and importance to the therapeutic alliance makes it difficult to maintain the objectivity of an academic research interview - There are emotional challenges for the psychoanalytic patient \> when the interpreter makes interpretations - Therapists can write reflections of the therapeutic work in case studies, as Freud did 8. **Describe briefly the main characteristics of phenomenological research. (**slides 32, 33, 34) Phenomenological research = describes the subjective experience while remaining close to the participants words - ensuring it's the participants account of events, not the interpreters - Aims to generate insights into meanings, significance and functions - Transcripts read & sign. Phrases extracted - Researcher identifies emerging themes - Themes from all transcripts compares and connections between themes sought - Researcher verifies connections with the original text to see if there is sufficient support of evidence - There are varieties of phenomenology. - Interpreters must be reflective during the analysis process - Be aware of their own assumptions, standpoint and investment into the research -- impact the understanding of the material - Descriptive approach to phenomenological research \> identifies any preconceptions/ assumptions of the interpreter BEFORE beginning the analysis - Some argue preconceptions only emerge during the process of engagement in understanding the text - Process of unknowing to increase understanding - The interpreter and the text interact as the text influences the interpreter impacting their thinking and views - Always intersubjective 9. **Describe briefly the main characteristics of discourse analysis. (**slides 35, 36, 37) **Discourse Analysis:** **HOW is something said** - Examines how language construction influences meaning of the participants accounts - Conducts a detailed examination of - grammatical constructions - terminology choice - metaphors used / frequency - Rhetorical features that characterize how the text achieves its effects - Can take different forms but - Language is constructive & performative - Language is the medium that brings the experiences into being - This is done accomplished by constructing events in particular contexts and was of expression - Driven by research questions about the language itself and how it is used \> not the participants experiences - The cultural, social historic context is the focus - Focus on how constructing meaning through language enables/prevents, empowers/ constrains action - Driven by a theory of language rather than interpretation -- more suspicious approach / clinical less empathic - Can draw ethical issues Discursive Psychology: focus on the specific ways the discourse are employed **10. Describe briefly the main characteristics of psychosocial approach to interpretation**. (slides 38, 39, 40) - **Psychosocial approach 'Why is it said'** \> qualitative psychologists want to find out more about social / psychological structures and processes underpin the thoughts & actions - **Psychoanalytic theory** is used to generate richer interpretation & produce explanations of the data - **Binocularity**: ground up (*what is there*) and top-down (*theory driven*) used in combination to 'make sense' of data - Published research combines *discourse & psychoanalytic perspectives to add depth* to the analysis - **The aim is to identify the dynamics of subjectivity while keeping the importance of social** and discursive contexts within which the participants narrative is produced - **The methodological, epistemological, ethical & political implications** of the psychosocial approach is much debated - Iceberg model: - react \> events (outer layer) - anticipate\> patterns - design \> underlying structures - transform \> mental models **11. Explain what is "interpretative violence" as well as "epistemological violence" and illustrate** **them with examples. (**slide 49) **Interpretive violence** = the imposed interpretation of the researcher does not reflect the meaning of the participant. Interpretations have ethical implications because -- they are actions with consequences that can be evaluated When these interpretations negatively affect the participant (hurt, damage, disadvantage) they are UNETHICAL **Epistemological violence** = reinforces biases and social inequalities in research interpretations by shaping knowledge production in a way that favors certain perspectives & marginalizing others eg. By silencing certain groups or framing data in a way that supports a dominant social/political narrative, imposing cultural norms, when researchers assume their theoretical framework is the only 'correct' version **Researchers** = need to be self-reflective - Training important to develop an awareness of theoretical, - Ethical and practical implications of interpretation and data - Need a good understanding so social & political contexts - Sensitivity required when interpreting different cultures, norms, traditions 12\. **Explain the main ethical issues of interpretation in qualitative research and the basic** **strategies to address ethical concerns (slide** 50, (and 51, 52, 53 -- not everything, just to better understand 3 strategies) Ethical challenges = - Interpretation can limit AND facilitate what the participant experiences - Interpretation carry's a big responsibility - Ethical interpretations should be prioritized **[Do's ]** 1. Be modest about what research can reveal by keeping the research question in mind -- carefully designed studies can't do more than shed light on a small part of a whole, findings are limited 2. Ensure the voice of the participant is central \> effects on the participants rarely discussed, researcher alone gives meaning to the data, sometimes participant validation -- collaborative could be better; distance between the interpretations and the account is important to consider 3. Remain open to alternative interpretations \> preconceived interpretations do not increase knowledge and are unethical, consider social origins of the research question, contextualize (pay attention to the context) & narrativizing (treating events as part of a bigger picture / story **13. What is the relationship between experience and its description in language according to** **Polkinghorne** (2005)? (slide 58) Polkinghorne: - Experience and its description in language are inherently intertwined but not identical - Language serves as a tool to express and communicate experience, yet it can never fully capture the richness and complexity of lived experience - He argues that while words shape how we understand and convey experiences, they also impose limitations by structuring them within existing linguistic and cultural frameworks - This means that descriptions of experience are always interpretative and influenced by the context in which they are articulated - Expressive -- language as a means to an end, experience precedes language - Constructive (performative) -- language constructs meaning and does not merely reflect it, experience is constructed by the language used to talk about it eg. Saying I love you on Valentine's Day as a socio-cultural practice - **Polkinghorne**: Defines positions where language ranges between expressive and performative - **Polkinhornes**: middle position where experience is seen as more nuanced that literal language can capture and it can add to the experience by amplifying, congealing or differentiating experiences **14. What are different approaches in which qualitative research can engage with the problem of** **language according to Carla Willig?** (slide 59) Approaches of engagement - What is the primary purpose: 1. Content: approach the language as expressive -- language is a mediator of meaning 2. Form: data is seen as constructive and performative 3. Not always clear-cut -- interdependence between form and content -- you need to study the meaning of things that are said in the context of which theses meanings were said **15. What are the main characteristics of the realist approach to qualitative research according to** **Carla Willig?** (slide 60) - Realist research: qualitative methods of data collection & analysis to get rich, detailed, accurate comprehensive picture of the social world and human psychology - The researcher can convey the social / psychological processes that shape the behavior/ thinking of the participants - The researcher is a detective and embarks on a 'discovery orientation' to uncover hidden facts to make things intelligible - Include ethnography, grounded theory methodology, interpretive analysis, psychoanalytic approaches - Participants act as a 'witness' to phenomena and provide the researcher with data -the function of language here is expressive - Language: - Exists independently of the participants / researcher's awareness - Language can give the researcher access to this independent existence **16. What are the main characteristics of the phenomenological approach to qualitative research** **according to Carla Willig**? (slide 62) - The main characteristics of the phenomenological approach: to be a vehicle with which to access described lived experiences - Aim is to produce knowledge about the nature / quality of the subjective experience - No data relating to the accuracy of the participants accounts - Aim to 'enter' the participants world -- the researcher is similar to the role of a person-centrerd approach - The participant is the author of their story not a witness - Function of language -primarily expressive but the language used is still relevant to the researcher - The researcher should pay attention \> to the meanings invoked by the language sued to describe the experience - Eg. A researcher studying the experience of grief conducts in-depth interviews with bereaved individuals, focusing on their personal descriptions of emotions, bodily sensations, and memories. The goal is to uncover the essence of grief as it is lived, rather than analyzing how it is spoken about in social contexts. **17. What are the main characteristics of the social -- constructionist approach to qualitative** **research according to Carla Willig**? (slide 63) - The main characteristics of the SOCIAL-CONSTRUCTIONIST Approach: - How do people talk about the world defines how they construct their version of reality using language - How is the knowledge constructed? - The study of discourse and how they are applied in specific contexts - What is the socially acceptable way to speak about the phenomena of study and how these may shape the participants experiences - Eg. A researcher explores how cultural beliefs about gender roles influence parenting practices by analyzing conversations between parents and children. The study highlights how societal norms about masculinity and femininity are continuously reinforced through everyday interactions and shared understandings. - Role of the researcher akin to \> architect because who analyses how a phenomenon has been constructed (resources, materials) - Discourse analysis is the most common approach to this type of knowledge: examines how language SHAPES our reality NOT just descriptive of the human experience - Discursive psychology: examines how language is used in social interactions to create meaning - Foucauldian: - Critical discourse analysis - Memory work - Narrative analysis: how do people use language to create stories about their lives -- this looks at how language shapes out understanding of our self and the world - Primarily interested in form data, language is constructive and its function performative - Additional layer of complexity when text is translated from another language- interview s better in native language -- transcribe the data in original language and analyze the translation