Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) What is it? Jonathan A Smith School of Psychology Birkbeck University of London Ja.smith@bbk.ac.

uk

What is it? How do you do it? What does it look like?

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) Focus on lived e !erience of !artici!ant "ry to make sense of the meanings of events# e !eriences# states to !artici!ants themselves $aturalistic %&ualitative methodology' small n (ual com!onents) Phenomenological* +nter!retative plus +diogra!hic not nomothetic

Phenomenology ,-oing back to the things themselves. %/dmund 0usserl' 1efle ive turn in2ards a2ay from the ob3ects in the 2orld and to2ards our !erce!tion of those ob3ects ho2ever intentionality links !erceiver 2ith !erceived Different phenomenologies 1. Idiographic (etailed analysis of elements of the reflected !ersonal e !erience4 the sub3ective e !erience of the social 2orld. +PA does this %or at least attem!ts to' 2. Eidetic /stablish essential features#general structure of that e !erience across !eo!le. -iorgi.s em!irical !henomenology tries to do this 3. Transcendental Put to one side the content of the sub3ective !rocess in order to attend to !ure consciousness itself.

Interpretative 0ermeneutics of identity#em!athy 0ermeneutics of &uestioning#being critical Understanding combines these (ouble hermeneutic) 1esearcher is trying to make sense of the !artici!ant trying to make sense of5. "he hermeneutic circle Part and 2hole 0eidegger and -adamer on ho2 fore4understanding im!ortant in inter!retation but sometimes may only be discovered in confrontation 2ith ne2

Methodology of IPA Data collection Pur!osive homogeneous sam!ling +ntervie2 schedule used fle ibly4 contrast to structured intervie2 6erbatim transcri!t Analysis Systematic search for themes in first case Forge connections bet2een themes* "hen move across case Usual aim) establishment of su!erordinate themes 0o2ever +PA is a!!roach not ,methodolatory. 7ethod can be ada!ted "ry ca!ture rich account4lived e !erience for individual Write Up $arrative account !resents elicited themes su!!orted by verbatim e tracts from !artici!ants

!"!#I$ #!%# &'( H)"#I" #'"*% +I%!A%!, #H! +!$I%I'" MA-I" P('$!%%

$o.researchers %usan Michie ()$/) 'liver 0uarrel %University of Sheffield' Mike %tephenson

Huntington*s +isease (H+) !rogressive* neuro4degenerative disorder* usually of adult onset serious motor disability* affective disturbance* and cognitive im!airment no treatment Predictive testing since 1234 before testing* candidate kno2s risk status is 89: testing almost definitive time of onset is unclear !ositive result 2ill also change the risk status of their children from ;8: to 89: ho2 does an individual make such a decision and 2hat are the !sychological conse&uences of it<
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!5isting work !rimarily &uantitative =. Some studies on factors influencing the decision of 2hether to test or not. "ibben et al. %=>>?b'* @odori et al. %=>>A' Typical factors pro testing: assistance 2ith re!roductive decisions !lanning for the future anti testing: searching for sym!toms being unable to live 2ith the kno2ledge ;. most 2ork is on !sychological effects of kno2ing the test result. %"ibben et al. =>>?a* Bloch et al. =>>;' !ositive test result can cause !sychological distress but usually not ma3or !sychiatric !roblems

#his study concerned 2ith ho2 does individual make decision< Procedure Semi4structured intervie2* early in counsel !rotocol) 0(* the test* decision4making ta!ed and transcribed verbatim analysed 2ith +PA

for results see Smith JA, Michie S, Stephenson M. Quarrell O, (2002) Risk perception & decision-making processes in candidates for the genetic test for Huntingtons Disease: an interpretative phenomenological analysis Journal of Health Psychology, 7, 131-144

$onclusion +PA concerned 2ith actual instances of life not actuarial incidence. "his 2ork useful as real42orld e am!le of (7 And to hel! inform genetic counselling )seful reading on IPA
#heoretical 6ackground Smith* JA %=>>B' Beyond the divide bet2een cognition and discourse) using inter!retative !henomenological analysis in health !sychology Psychology & Health 11 ;B=4C= Practicalities Smith, J.A. and Osborn, M. (2003) Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In JA Smith (ed) Qualitative Psychology. London: Sage. !mpirical papers %ee we6site

Website http://www.psyc.bbk.ac.uk/ipa/

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