Phenomenological Process Research Articles

Sculpting the good surgeon or excising the bad one: How clinical teachers could perpetuate attrition in surgical residency programmes.

Attrition in surgical residencies remains a significant issue, with traditional research focusing mainly on individual and programme factors. This study explores the role of clinical teachers (CTs) in influencing attrition rates. CTs are essential in moulding residents' training, serving both as enablers of workplace learning and guardians of their medical fields. We employed a hermeneutic phenomenology framework to understand the sociocultural impacts on attrition. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews involving 19 CTs, 3 residents who left the programme and 2 who underwent remediation, following a six-step hermeneutic phenomenological analysis process. The entrenched 'good surgeon' narrative within the department demanded selflessness and total dedication, which CTs reinforced, thereby normalising a rigorous and challenging environment. This has led to attrition when residents fail to meet these challenges or choose to disengage from the system. We illustrated that CTs were pivotal in perpetuating these expectations, contributing significantly to resident attrition. CTs played a crucial role in resident attrition by enforcing a stringent cultural norm within surgical training programmes. Addressing this issue requires a visible change in CTs' role to foster a more supportive educational environment. Emphasising the beneficial aspects of the 'good surgeon' narrative and mitigating its adverse impacts is essential for reducing attrition rates and assisting all residents, including those facing challenges, in successfully completing their training.

Existential feelings as a phenomenological framework for psychedelic therapy

ABSTRACT This article provides a phenomenological account of the role of existential feelings in the acute and lasting effects of psychedelic therapy and attempts to elucidate phenomenologically why certain psychedelic experiences in specific contexts have the potential of providing long-term relief from mental suffering. First, we explain Matthew Ratcliffe’s theory of existential feelings and use it to highlight shared phenomenological characteristics between various mental disorders. Next, we discuss the phenomenology of oceanic feelings to specify the kind of existential feeling that is involved in acute psychedelic experiences and connect this to the existential reorientation that may occur after the use of psychedelics. Following this, we show how this framework of existential feelings allows us to (1) characterize the phenomenological process that takes during therapeutic use of psychedelics, and (2) describe various conditions required for a successful therapeutic psychedelic experience.

Diseño de un Sistema Integral para la Formación de Capital Humano en la pequeña y mediana empresa de Yucatán

The purpose of this study is to design an Integral System for the Formation of Human Capital (SIFCH), which allows the strengthening and specialization of this resource and, in this way, helps in the economic growth and consolidation of the market to which the products and services of small and medium-sized companies are directed. The method integrates the qualitative research approach with phenomenological processes, descriptive and analytical scope; for this purpose, interviews were conducted with 35 people, 17 businessmen of the State of Yucatan and 18 experts in the training area (consultants, private training companies, government agencies, business chambers, and business incubators). As a result, the Integral System of Human Capital Formation (SIFCH) was established, which consists of two parts. The internal part (the system's core) contemplates the organization's specific needs in terms of its size, business line, and resources; the entrepreneurial culture and innovation as an added value. The external part was designed according to a compendium of the elements that training experts consider at the time of training; these are: Diagnosis of the learning needs and the Evaluation of the Human Capital Training Process, that is, the results obtained in the productivity and personal growth of the worker in a period of time determined by the organization to measure the impact and effectiveness of this. The conclusions establish the processes to be followed in the implementation of SIFCH.

Process of Phenomenology as Qualitative Research Method in English

Research methodology is a pronounced science that contributes to the study of research in many fields. The literature on research methodology shows how it serves in several ways as it is multi-dimensional and theoretical alongside the features of experimental literature. Based on different philosophies, it involves two significant methods of choice, qualitative and quantitative, with a range of research strategies from simple to complex. Fundamentally, the strategies of the qualitative method are of much use in the study of English literature and to some extent in the studies of English language and Applied linguistics since the latter also deal with empirical study. The current research method, phenomenology, is one of the critical approaches of the qualitative method, and it is all about philosophical experiences. The study of phenomenology in English is necessary as it has been a widely used method in the fields of medical science, philosophy, computers, and business but not still more in English and Second language acquisition studies; therefore, the main motive behind the study is to investigate how congenial the phenomenology research method is to exploit it in English language and literature studies. Concerning the abovementioned facts, the present study will include the conceptualization, periodical developments, classification, and the milestones associated with phenomenological research studies to analyze and extract as a research method in English. The study also endeavors to identify philosophy and language as two important parameters and emphasizes that they are equally necessary to use phenomenology as a research method in English.

On Splits, Big and Little: Towards an Intensive Model of Media and Mediation

This essay forwards an intensive model of mediation contrasted with the extensive model implicit in much of media theory, which conceives of communication media as an extension of human faculties. An intensive model, instead, conceives of mediation as a phenomenological process of splitting or folding affective capacities. An extensive model results in a dualistic, essentialist theory of communication media and unresolvable normative debates about the connecting or disconnecting consequences of media. An intensive model avoids these limitations by diagramming various modes of mediation and illustrating how their consequences stem from alterations to intensive properties, thereby helping constitute subjects and media objects alike rather than presuming a media bridge between pre-existing subjects and objects. The essay employs a number of examples to illustrate the extensive model, including telephone conversations, cinema, animation, and social media. The essay concludes with the division of families over QAnon conspiracies to illustrate the analytic gain from an intensive model.

The lived experience of midwives’ transitioning from a clinical role into teaching in higher education in one jurisdiction of Australia: A pilot study

AimThe aim of this pilot study was to explore clinician’s experience of transitioning from midwifery clinical practice into university in an academic teaching role within one jurisdiction in Australia. BackgroundThere is a dire shortage of midwifery academics globally. In Australia the shortage is symbiotic with the persistent deficit in the midwifery clinical workforce, which is the predominant recruitment pool for universities. The midwifery workforce cannot be replenished without sufficient academics to provide education. DesignPhenomenology was selected as the most appropriate research approach for the study seeking to illuminate the lived experiences of clinicians as they transition into their new role as academics. MethodsSeven participants were recruited purposively from one jurisdiction in Australia between November 2022 and March 2023. Qualitative conversational interviews were performed facilitating each participant to share their narrative. Participants were then able to direct the conversation to share their lived experience of the transition from a midwifery clinician in practice to a midwifery academic in a university. Demographic details were collected for context. ResultsThematic analysis was used following Giorgi’s four stage phenomenological process. Four themes were identified from commonalities between the participants, ‘Being a drifter”, ‘Keeping a foot in both camps to maintain clinical credibility’, ‘In at the deep end: Not prepared for the reality of academia’ and ‘Best of both worlds’. ConclusionsThe lived experiences of the participants in this study, as they transitioned from clinical midwifery practice to academia can be related to the Theory of Transition where participants navigate: Preparation, Encounter, Adjustment and Stabilisation. A new role in higher education requires adjustment to the reality of working in academia. Midwives who had experiences of being a casual staff member felt they had the best of both worlds, as they gained an insight into the role of an academic whilst remaining in clinical practice. However, many reported that mentorship would have been beneficial to facilitate stabilisation.

The Study of Marriage Postponement Process in the Youth: A Phenomenological Study

Aim: The purpose of this study was to study the phenomenological process of postponing marriage in young people in order to understand different aspects of this phenomenon and how young people perceive it. Methods: To achieve the research goal, a qualitative approach and a descriptive phenomenological method were utilized. The research population included single and never-married girls and boys living in Tehran between the ages of 28 to 34 years for girls, and 32 to 38 years for boys. Purposeful sampling was used with the convenient sampling and 13 individuals including 7 girls and 6 boys were selected as the sample.y. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed by Colaizzi method. Finding: Finally, the research findings reported falls into 12 main themes and 61 sub-themes. The main themes are: economic concerns, idealism, fear of future marriage, the impact of premarital relationships, motivational processes, immaturity and readiness for marriage, the role of family barriers, socio-cultural factors, selection constraints, preconceived notions of marriage, positive consequences and negative consequences. Conclusions: The results showed that postponing marriage is a complex phenomenon which is affected by objective constraints, limiting mental perceptions and insufficient maturity and has many negative consequences for young people. It seems that the efforts of the counseling and psychological community to produce content in the fields of creating a culture of easy marriage process, reviving the values of marriage, correcting the misconceptions of young people, and dissemination of successful marriages in the social media and networks, is an effective step to remove mental barriers of marriage.

Simulation of electron transport in a catoptric photomultiplier tube concept for large rectangular scintillator crystals

Spectroscopic scintillation detector form factors have been guided primarily by the design of commercially available photonic sensors. These devices, such as photomultiplier tubes, silicon photomultipliers, and hybrid photodetectors have underperformed in one or more areas such as size, power consumption, and resolution. A novel photomultiplier tube having a 50.8×152.4 mm2 rectangular window, utilizing a reflection-mode photocathode, and a low-gain, miniaturized dynode set is considered here to improve photosensor packaging while enabling high-efficiency, low-resolution scintillation spectroscopy with large, planar scintillators. Using a phenomenological multiphysics simulation process informed by empirical data, photoelectron collection efficiency, single-photoelectron response, electron transit time, and transit time spread have been modeled over a range of operating potentials. At 750 V between the photocathode and anode, 72.5% of photoelectrons are collected at the first dynode, and the average gain is estimated to be 805. The most probable transit time is 14.9 ns, with a transit time spread of 2.7 ns full-width at half-maximum.

A phenomenological learning approach to leading digitalization

Existing theory in the field of digital leadership describes many different skills that leaders need to possess to succeed in leading digitalization. By exploring existing theories and engaging qualitatively with leaders in practice, this article identifies a gap between the skills the theory dictates leaders should possess and the skills leaders possess in practice. In practice, the number of skills required and the complexity of digital leadership cause leaders to perceive the acquisition of the necessary skill set as unmanageable. By engaging phenomenologically with the fact that one cannot know what one does not know, this article shows how digital leadership skills can be learned and developed. Combining phenomenological concepts like common sense, a reference frame, and being a stranger with competence development theory reveals a way that leaders can indeed develop their digital leadership and their competencies, although the competencies of each digital leader will be unique. Furthermore, leading digitalization is shown to start at the intrapersonal level, in part because of the importance of authenticity in leadership practice. The overall aim of the article is to explore, through a phenomenological learning process, how digital leadership can be developed.

Training the musical attention: Towards a new generation of methods in music education

A crucial aspect of musical ability is a music-specific empathic capacity that enables the performer to uncover subjective meanings from musical materials and fully feel them during performance. Based on insights from both theoretical and empirical research into the psychology of music performance and from pedagogical practice, this capacity is thought to rely on a more general empathic ability and can be nurtured easily in most people, including those scoring rather poor on standard musical aptitude tests measuring “melodic”, “rhythmic”, or “harmonic” skills. In my paper, I present the theoretical bases of a new pedagogical approach for nurturing in musicians the capacity of feeling the elements of musical meaning in real time (in the act of performance): I introduce a new theory of musical expressiveness by defining, from a psychological point of view and from the perspective of the performer’s phenomenology, the various layers of musical meaning (the “what” system) and the temporal-attentional abilities that enable to express them in real time (the “how” system). The paper concludes with a short introduction to a novel implementation of the above model of performer’s phenomenological processes into performance teaching: a full training of musical attention called “Practice Methodology”.

Modeling the Conduction Mechanism in Chemoresistive Gas Sensor Based on Single-Crystalline Sn3O4 Nanobelts: A Phenomenological In Operando Investigation.

Investigating the sensing mechanisms in semiconducting metal oxide (SMOx) gas sensors is essential for optimizing their performance across a wide range of potential applications. Despite significant progress in the field, there are still many gaps in comprehending the phenomenological processes occurring in one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures. This article presents the first insights into the conduction mechanism of chemoresistive gas sensors based on single-crystalline Sn3O4 nanobelts using the operando Kelvin Probe technique. From this approach, direct current (DC) electrical resistance and work function changes were simultaneously measured in different working conditions, and a correlation between the conductance and the surface band bending was established. Appropriate modeling was proposed, and the results revealed that the conduction mechanism in the single-crystalline one-dimensional nanostructures closely aligns with the behavior observed in single-crystalline epitaxial layers rather than in polycrystalline grains. Based on this assumption, relevant parameters were further estimated, including Debye length, concentration of free charge carriers, effective density of states in the conduction band, and position of the Fermi level. Overall, this study provides an effective contribution to understanding the role of surface chemistry in the transduction of the electrical signal generated from gas adsorption in single-crystalline one-dimensional nanostructures.

Thirty Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease Unified by a Common Neuroimmune-Neuroinflammation Mechanism.

One of the major obstacles confronting the formulation of a mechanistic understanding for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is its immense complexity-a complexity that traverses the full structural and phenomenological spectrum, including molecular, macromolecular, cellular, neurological and behavioural processes. This complexity is reflected by the equally complex diversity of risk factors associated with AD. However, more than merely mirroring disease complexity, risk factors also provide fundamental insights into the aetiology and pathogenesis of AD as a neurodegenerative disorder since they are central to disease initiation and subsequent propagation. Based on a systematic literature assessment, this review identified 30 risk factors for AD and then extended the analysis to further identify neuroinflammation as a unifying mechanism present in all 30 risk factors. Although other mechanisms (e.g., vasculopathy, proteopathy) were present in multiple risk factors, dysfunction of the neuroimmune-neuroinflammation axis was uniquely central to all 30 identified risk factors. Though the nature of the neuroinflammatory involvement varied, the activation of microglia and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines were a common pathway shared by all risk factors. This observation provides further evidence for the importance of immunopathic mechanisms in the aetiopathogenesis of AD.

Embodying intimacy in everyday interaction: A biolinguistic study of long‐term partners in the Southeastern United States

AbstractDrawing on linguistic and biocultural anthropological perspectives on embodiment, this paper advances a “biolinguistic” approach to ethnographic research on intimacy, attending simultaneously to the co‐constitutive interactive, psychophysiological, and phenomenological processes that emerge in everyday embodied interaction between long‐term, cohabitating romantic partners. Through concurrent attention to natural interactions captured during video ethnography and moment‐to‐moment shifts in heart‐rate variability, this study complements and complicates existing psychological, communication, and anthropological research on intimacy. Three case‐studies of long‐term couples residing in the Southeastern United States demonstrate how neither pure psychophysiology nor pure linguistic analysis fully encapsulates potential patterns of intimacy among them. Rather, this microanalytical, biolinguistic approach to the complexities of body and language interplay, in treating embodiment and interaction as bidirectional phenomena, emphasizes that meanings and enactments of intimacy might look different for each couple and can change over time in complex ways that index couples’ enduring orientations towards various cultural and relational norms.

What factors influence individual differences in vulnerability/resilience to sleep loss and/or circadian misalignment?

Daily rhythms are primarily synchronized by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus, the body’s central circadian clock. The SCN aligns whole-body cellular, behavioral and phenomenological processes with the Earth’s 24-hour day/night rhythm. When disruptions to the SCN’s perceptual system occur (e.g., “jet-lag,” prolonged waking, chronic exposure to light at night or habit change as the result of becoming a parent), disrupted melatonin and glucocorticoid secretion can lead to widespread dysregulation of sleep and circadian cycling. The effects of circadian disruptions are often compounded by the homeostatic sleep drive, wherein sleep pressure accumulates with protracted wakefulness to affect mood, cognition, health and well-being.

Coupling biomechanical models of implants with biodegradation models: A case study for biodegradable mandibular bone fixation plates

In fracture fixation, biodegradable implant materials are an interesting alternative to conventional non-biodegradable materials as the latter often require a second implant removal surgery to avoid long-term complications. In this study, we present an in silico strategy to design/study biodegradable metal implants focusing on mandibular fracture fixation plates of WE43 (Mg alloy). The in silico strategy is composed of an orchestrated interaction between three separate computational models. The first model simulates the mass loss of the degradable implant based on the chemistry of Mg biodegradation. A second model estimates the loading on the jaw plate in the physiological environment, incorporating a phenomenological dynamic bone regeneration process. The third model characterizes the mechanical behavior of the jaw plate and the influence of material degradation on the mechanical behavior. A sensitivity analysis was performed on parameters related to choices regarding numerical implementation and parameter dependencies were implemented to guarantee robust and correct results. Different clinical scenarios were tested, related to the amount of screws used to fix the plate. The results showed a lower initial strength when more screw holes were left open, as well as a faster decrease over time in strength due to the increased area available for surface degradation. The obtained degradation results were found to be in accordance with previously reported data of in vivo studies with biodegradable plates. The combination of these three models allows for the design of patient-specific biodegradable fixation implants able to deliver the desired mechanical behavior tuned to the bone regeneration process.

Exploring the perceptions and lived experiences of family members living with people diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Africa: a descriptive phenomenological study

ABSTRACT Background The incidence and prevalence of COVID-19 continues to escalate globally, with the consequence to quality of life, the economies of nations and various sectors of society. While there is substantial research on the impact and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, little remains known about the perceptions and lived experiences of families living with people diagnosed with COVID-19, particularly within the South African context. Purpose To explore the perceptions and lived experiences of family members living with people diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Africa. Methods A descriptive phenomenological design was used. Data were collected from 15 participants who were family members of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Africa. Purposive snowball sampling was used to identify and recruit participants, and data were collected at community level in KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng, South Africa. Individual in-depth interviews were used to collect the data, and an audio tape was used to record all interviews. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a phenomenological data analysis processes. Ethical approval to conduct the study was obtained from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Research Ethics Committee—reference number: BREC00003228/2021. Results Four super-ordinate themes emerged in relation to the perceptions and lived experiences of family members living with people diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Africa. The superordinate themes were: (1) sources of information about COVID-19, (2) pandemic perceptions and experiences, (3) impact of diagnosis and related burden and (4) aftermath of living with a family member diagnosed with COVID-19. Discussion and conclusion Family members’ perceptions and lived experiences of COVID-19 are largely influenced by media, moreover, the impact of diagnosis has consequences for the physical, mental and emotional well-being of family members. Diagnosis disrupts family dynamics by depleting financial resources due to the caregiver burden experienced. The findings thus imply that provision of psychosocial support is imperative for families living with persons diagnosed with COVID-19.

STRATA: The Research Process in the Making of a Performance-Based Film

Does a performance-based film as a creative artifact contribute new knowledge on the topics it adresses partly through its practice and outcomes? The focus of this article is on the performance-based film project STRATA. Under the direction of artist duo Verena Stenke and Andrea Pagnes (VestAndPage), STRATA brings together artists, performers, scholars, and researchers from the humanities and social sciences through collaborations and interdisciplinary processes. Locations featured in the film include the Swabian Jura caves in Germany, which were used for shelter by Ice Age humans forty thousand years ago. VestAndPage intend to open up a contemporary discourse on the past by engaging performing artists as they confront the concept of deep time and layers of memory in human history. They investigate the human body as a site that exists in continuity with the geological, rather than cut away from it, undertaking site-specific/site-responsive performances within caves and grottos. Working from the a priori assumption that everything in the world is interconnected and coexists with its environment, they take ecological thinking as an entry point to enliven an emerging corporeal epistemology to inform a more holistic and multicultural perspective. In the article, the authors attempt to trace continuities between their research activity on performance, filmmaking, sound and light design practices, and the methodological differences between practice-based research in moving images and academic research in film and image studies. They recount the evolution of their thinking, sensations experienced, practice-based artistic research, and working methods, which draw largely upon phenomenology and heuristic processes.

Preserving the Dance: R. M. Rilke’s Concern for the Preservation of Objects and its Reflection in Lithuanian Poetry

The article examines the connection between Rainer Maria Rilke’s concern for the preservation of objects and the poetic-aesthetic concept, which he applied to the phenomenon of dance. The article treats the dance, which receives relatively little attention as a separate art form in Rilke’s work, as a kind of (non-material) object. Overall, Rilke’s conception of the object goes beyond the “ordinary” and direct materiality. However, the desire to preserve objects in texts presupposes a special transformation, which can be identified as a distinctive phenomenological process. In Rilke’s poetry, dance appears in a variety of contexts and is often dependent on the image rather than the movement. Here, the poet applies Sehen Lernen, or “Learning to see” program. The article discusses Rilke’s poems that are related to the phenomenon of dance, including “Spanische Tänzerin” [“The Spanish Dancer”], “Toten-Tanz” [“Death-Dance”], an excerpt from “Die fünfte Elegie” [“The Fifth Elegy”] and Sonnet XVIII from Part II of Die Sonette an Orpheus [The Sonnets to Orpheus]. The article also explores the poetic reception of Rilke’s dance in Lithuanian poetry, the poems of Salomėja Nėris (“The Red Rose”), Henrikas Nagys (a fragment from “The Psalm of Fulfillment”) and Jonas Juškaitis (“Ballet”).

'You have to be a certain sort of person': An interpretative phenomenological analysis of mental health support workers' experiences of physical restraint in inpatient settings.

Physical restraint is a controversial practice in psychiatric inpatient settings. Research has clearly demonstrated its physical and psychological risks, but few studies investigate how mental health support workers understand their experiences of restraint use. This study uses interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore support workers' understanding of these experiences. The COREQ checklist was used to ensure explicit reporting of the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three participants and were then analysed using an interpretative phenomenological process. One superordinate theme emerged: 'You have to be a certain sort of person'. Restraints require not only the ability to overcome one's emotions, but also the ability to connect with the person being restrained. The implications of these findings for psychiatric care provision and for further research are discussed.

한국 중년후기의 나이듦 체험에 관한 해석학적 현상학 연구

This study was conducted to understand the aging process that late middle-aged Koreans experience. The essential meaning of aging was explored by observing life experiences related to aging in the context of their generation and studying the structure of these experiences. Eight women and eight men living in Korea in their late middle age (55-64 years old) were selected to participate in data collection and analysis according to van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological study process. As a result, 60 core meanings and 42 themes were observed, including 16 essential themes: <aging body that they are unfamiliar with>, <health they want to hold onto until the end>, <places they have adapted as their responsibilities and roles>, <barren land that they have not been deeply rooted in>, <child that they cannot turn away from>, <a place like a mother’s arm that they have found>, <a couple who have just met in one place after going through ups and downs>, <directional coordinates that they reclaim through choices and challenges>, <the life of conformity that has become their second nature>, <moments paused by their past wounds>, <personal time that was restricted by their roles but now they regain>, <roles that have been forced on them unilaterally>, <umbilical cord that is unbreakable>, <the fragments of relationship lost by times and work>, <family bond that is strong and tough>, <personal existence that they do not want to be forgotten>. The semantic structure of the previous 16 essential themes was understood by dividing them into van Manen’s four lifeworld existentials: lived body, lived space, lived time, and lived human relations. This study attempted to comprehend the universal and personal aging process through the historical and societal context that late middle-aged Koreans share. Exploring the experience and meaning of aging in late middle age from a more systematic and contextual perspective is expected to be an essential resource for understanding the perception and attitude of late middle age. As the importance of elderly life is increasing due to an aging society, such understanding of aging has practical significance in the development of psychological support programs and social policies that aid the preparation of healthy aging for the new and growing elderly population.