Analytic Strategy

The analysis developed through concentric layers of interpretation which moved from looking at what the participants were saying on a descriptive level, to their use of metaphor and language, to the relationship between different accounts within the same interview, and finally to the identity processes which were revealed in the process of thematic exploration of several interviews. These levels of interpretation corresponded to the hermeneutic circle of movement from ‘part’ to ‘whole’ described by Smith, Flowers and Larkin (2009).

Initially, the interviews were listened to a number of times (including during transcription), and any observations were noted down. Then, once transcribed, the transcript was read and re-read carefully, in order to fully immerse myself in the data. The interviews were also listened to at the same time as reading the transcripts so as to have an image of the person talking while reading the text. At this stage, tentative ideas, thoughts and reflections were written on the left hand margin of the transcript. This stage could be described as relatively fluid, since comments were made on anything which seemed significant – important words, reflections on manner of speech, repetition, hesitancy, emotional reactions and so forth.

Subsequently, in the first stage of thematic analysis, themes, concepts and higher-order ideas were written on the right hand side of the transcript (Smith & Osborn, 2003). See appendix 10 for an example of interview with left- and right- margin text.

The process of delineating emergent themes can be seen as the first stage of higher-order interpretation, involving insight into and focus on the psychological content of the participant’s material. These themes were then listed separately, connections sought between themes and clusters of themes were formed, constantly referring back to the text to check that the meaning stays as close as possible to the original (Langdridge, 2004). A table was constructed for each participant with themes, subthemes, and their corresponding line numbers and quotes. An example could be found in appendix 11.

The stages above were conducted for each individual transcript separately. Following this, the themes from the different transcripts were grouped together, connections between them drawn up, and commonalities and differences between participants were sought. This stage was aimed at finding patterns across cases, and

the product of this process was a tentative model or larger picture which linked the participants in their relationship with psychological homelessness. A graphic depiction of the model can be found in appendix 19, and will be discussed in the Discussion chapter. A table of one theme with quotes can be found in appendix 12, and a table of the overall themes and subthemes for all participants can be found in appendix 13.

At this stage, a sifting, thinning and refining took place, both on the level of themes and sub-themes, as well as on the level of quotes. Some of the slightly less relevant themes and quotes were put aside to maintain coherence and brevity (for example acculturation of children). In addition, certain issues which have been widely explored in many immigrant groups have been excluded, in order to present what is unique to this population. See Analysis chapter for further details. Throughout the process of analysis, various measures were taken to ensure rigour and trustworthiness, as described above in section 2.1.4.

Within the write up stage which followed, a re-evaluation of theme labels was conducted, and the final choice reflected the immersion in the data and reflection on relationships between the themes, quotes and overall transcripts. The writing up also involved a refinement of the quotes by cutting out what could be dispensed with, for example hesitancies, without jeopardising the meaning and intention of the quote. At this stage the analysis started to take shape, and final decisions, based on an extensive process of distillation, were made as to what would be included in the final draft of the analysis.

Chapter 3

Analysis

3.1 Introduction

This analysis follows a number of themes which together attempt to present a glimpse into the participants’ experience of psychological homelessness, and the identity management processes involved.

The interviews generated a very large amount of data, perhaps because of the all encompassing nature of psychological homelessness. During the process of analysis and writing up, painful decisions to prune the material had to be taken, restricting the themes presented here to those directly related to the research question and unique to this population. Other themes are only very briefly described here and a more detailed analysis of these is included in the appendix. See appendix 22 for reflections on this process in my research log.

The material is clustered into four major themes, which are then divided into sub themes. The major themes are organised around the process of meaning making, namely the participants’ attempts to understand what psychological homelessness means to them and how it impacts on their life. Accordingly, there are two threads connecting the themes. Firstly the exploration of the experience of psychological homelessness – its development and definitions, its impact on the participants’ life, attempts at management, and the process of re-negotiation of identity in light of this experience. Secondly, on a narrative level, the themes follow the participants’ chronological life-experience or time line – starting from the initial arrival in the UK, through the gradual development of psychological homelessness and the continuous attempts to manage its impacts. This thematic but also narrative approach to the analysis follows the theoretical standpoint of some IPA researchers (e.g. Smith,

2004). See appendix 14 for the list of themes and subthemes which will be discussed in the analysis.

Data in the form of direct quotes from the interviews are used. In order to preserve anonymity, the participants were all given pseudonyms, and any other identifying details were changed or omitted. When quoting from the transcript, the pseudonym and the location in the text are mentioned. Each quote can be located through a three number system, referring to participant, question and paragraph number respectively (e.g. 1.7.2.). Omitted text is indicated by: [ ], and identifying details are indicated by: ______. Pauses and silences are indicated by: … and non verbal reactions are placed in parentheses [ ]. Words in bold were stressed by the participant.

The text of the transcripts was left completely un-edited, and presented in the participants’ language and expression, including grammatical errors, in order to stay as close as possible to their story. When the participant used a word or sentence in Hebrew, it was translated and indicated by: [H]. In cases where it was absolutely necessary, a word was added {in brackets} to make the participant's point clearer, or text was omitted. This was used in particular where language difficulties reduced the clarity of the account.

The analysis also incorporated some of the literature and research where it seemed particularly necessary to ground the data in psychological theory. This method was used in order to maintain a continuous narrative, rather than presenting the themes first, followed by a separate theoretical discussion (for examples of IPA studies following this format see Coyle & Rafalin, 2000; Sinclair & Milner, 2005).

3.2 Analysis