Papers by Deborah Rodriguez
QMiP bulletin, Jun 13, 2024
Advances in methods and practices in psychological science, 2024
Routledge eBooks, Sep 17, 2023
QMiP Bulletin, 2023
Mick Cooper is Professor of Counselling Psychology, as well as Acting Director of the Centre for ... more Mick Cooper is Professor of Counselling Psychology, as well as Acting Director of the Centre for Research in Psychological Wellbeing (CREW) at the University of Roehampton. Aside from being a research-active practitioner, with research interests in counselling with children and young people as well as humanistic, existential and relational approaches to therapy, Mick is co-developer of the pluralistic approach to therapeutic practice. He has published numerous research articles and texts including his latest book ‘Psychology at the Heart of Social Change: Developing a Progressive Vision for Society’. Mick kindly agreed to be interviewed by two of our editors (Deborah Bailey-Rodriguez & Eva Fragkiadaki) to discuss qualitative research within psychotherapy and counselling research, his own research journey as a therapist and to give us tips and pointers for therapy trainees and bridging the gap between research and therapeutic practice for our Special Issue.
Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 2014
Psychology programmes often emphasise inferential statistical tests over a solid understanding of... more Psychology programmes often emphasise inferential statistical tests over a solid understanding of data and research design. This imbalance may leave graduates under-equipped to effectively interpret research and employ data to answer questions. We conducted a two-round modified-Delphi to identify the research methods skills that the UK psychology community deems essential for undergraduates to learn. Participants included 103 research methods instructors, academics, students, and non-academic psychologists. Of 78 items included in the consensus process, 34 reached consensus. We coupled these results with a qualitative analysis of 707 open-ended text responses to develop nine recommendations for organisations that accredit undergraduate psychology programmes—such as the British Psychological Society (BPS). We recommend that accreditation standards emphasise (1) data skills, (2) research design, (3) descriptive statistics, (4) critical analysis, (5) qualitative methods, and (6) both p...
QMiP Bulletin
Many, if not all, of our readers will be aware of the controversial paper which was published ear... more Many, if not all, of our readers will be aware of the controversial paper which was published earlier this year, often referred to as ‘that paper’. As a committee, QMiP have discussed internally and produced the below statement which we have posted online in response to ongoing discussions. We are reproducing this here for transparency and to ensure this is available to as many QMiP members as possible.We hope the below statement makes the position of the QMiP committee clear; whilst we do not agree with nor condone the approaches used in this instance, this should not take away from the high-quality qualitative research that takes place in our field and which we seek to champion.
Traditionally, adult attachment has been researched using quantitative methods, leading to the ca... more Traditionally, adult attachment has been researched using quantitative methods, leading to the categorisation of people into attachment styles, but which obscures the potential to understand the dynamism of attachment arising from life events and other contextual influences. The application of a pluralistic qualitative analysis allows for an innovative manner in which to gain more holistic insight by viewing the complexities of adult attachment from multi-dimensional perspectives. This paper presents a longitudinal single case study which explored the attachment behaviours of a couple during their transition to second-time parenthood. It used multiple methods of data collection and then applied several methods of analyses to all data. The plurality of epistemological and ontological paradigms brought by this innovative approach highlights the complex variation of relational experience across the transition to second-time parenthood. Key findings illustrate the complexity, multiplicity and dynamism of attachment at both intra- and inter-individual levels within the couple relationship across the transition to second-time parenthood. This paper shows how the application of this innovative analytical approach challenges traditional views of attachment as fixed and brings new insight to relational experiences by considering them as fluid and dynamic processes, informed by context, subjective meaning-making and external events
This chapter discusses the meaning of qualitatively -driven inquiry and what this is in the conte... more This chapter discusses the meaning of qualitatively -driven inquiry and what this is in the context of mixed and multi methods research. It distinguishes between qualitatively-driven mixed and multi methods approaches and considers why methods may be mixed using a qualitatively-driven approach. The chapter identifies some reasons for using qualitatively-driven mixed and multi method approaches and defines templates for their application. The chapter provides several research examples throughout to illustrate the insight gained with these approaches. It concludes with in-depth discussions of the value of these approaches and considers their contribution more widely to the field of mixed-methods research
Qualitative research methods do not form a ‘how to do’ set of skills that can be applied in the t... more Qualitative research methods do not form a ‘how to do’ set of skills that can be applied in the textbook fashion of quantitative methodologies and statistical analyses; and these modules seldom include practical aspects of assessment. Indeed, some qualitative approaches stress that use of analytic tools can only be learnt ‘on the job’ with real-life data with which the researcher is personally involved and concerned (Potter & Wetherell, 1987). Active learning has been defined as any instructional method which engages students in the learning process (Prince, 2004). Gibbs (1992) suggests the ‘learning by doing strategy’ takes students beyond the reproduction of knowledge to the application of knowledge. In this presentation, I propose a new half-year module for teaching qualitative approaches through use of active and experiential approaches. I describe my ideas of an innovative approach to teaching and assessing advanced qualitative research methods to final year psychology undergraduate students, whereby they will be equipped with practical research skills. This will be achieved through a range of in-class activities, feedback and formative assessments. As such, students can then be effectively assessed through a practical piece of summative work, facilitating the active learning of important research skills among final year psychology students
Traditionally, adult attachment has been researched using quantitative methods, leading to the ca... more Traditionally, adult attachment has been researched using quantitative methods, leading to the categorisation of people into attachment styles. This widely used approach obscures the potential to understand the dynamism of attachment arising from life events and other contextual influences. This has been addressed to some extent in studies that apply a qualitative approach to a quantitative attachment measure. However, in this paper I illustrate how developing a fuller understanding of complex adult attachment behaviours can be better achieved using a qualitative pluralistic approach that combines at all levels of analysis and interpretation to gain more holistic insight. I illustrate this by drawing on my doctoral research which explores couples’ attachment behaviours as they become parents for the second time by using multiple methods of data collection (diaries, biographical, semi-structured, and photo-elicitation interviews) and multiple methods of analysis (psychosocial, narrat...
A qualitative pluralistic exploration of a couple relationship across the transition to second-ti... more A qualitative pluralistic exploration of a couple relationship across the transition to second-time parenthood. This short article reports on the female partner during the pregnancy phase. It reports on her attachment history using BNIM and reports on her pregnancy phase using narrative analysis.
This chapter revolves around how qualitatively driven mixed methods can help to develop support i... more This chapter revolves around how qualitatively driven mixed methods can help to develop support in the field of mental health and emotional wellbeing by offering research generating multi-dimensional material for a more holistic insight into experiences. The chapter explains the meaning of both mixed methods and pluralistic qualitative research. Focusing on the latter, it expands for instance on how ‘analytical pluralism’ refers to the mixing of several methods of qualitative data analysis on a single dataset, whilst ‘within-method pluralism’ involves using the same method to analyse data in different ways but with underpinning same philosophical assumptions. In contrast to within-method pluralism, the across-method pluralistic research uses different methods to analyse data in different ways so the approach may be underpinned by differing philosophical viewpoints. Pluralism and pragmatism are considered with ‘paradigm peace’ (Bryman, Qual Res 6:97–113, 2006) in mind, acknowledging ...
John Bowlby gave his final interview on attachment theory over twenty five years ago to psychoana... more John Bowlby gave his final interview on attachment theory over twenty five years ago to psychoanalyst Virginia Hunter, just a few months before his death. A qualitative analysis, specifically an inductive thematic analysis, has been applied to Bowlby’s last interview so as to gain some insight in a systematic and rigorous manner as to what the main issues in attachment theory were for Bowlby at that stage of his life and career. A main theme ‘Real Life Events’ emerged, comprised of three subthemes ‘Dismissal,’ ‘Recognition,’ and ‘Supporting Patients;’ each of these findings are discussed in turn. Although attachment theory has developed enormously over the past twenty five years since Bowlby’s death, his main concern on the significance of real life events remains salient; Bowlby’s legacy continues to live on strongly.
Attachment theory provides a framework for categorising behaviours in close relationships by indi... more Attachment theory provides a framework for categorising behaviours in close relationships by individuals during times of stress. Attachment behaviours are commonly thought to be determined in early childhood experiences and assumed to hold through to adulthood. Further, these behaviours become particularly salient across life events, such as the transition to parenthood. Attachment styles range from security-based, in which individuals seek to alleviate distress by seeking and receiving proximity to an attachment figure, to insecurity-based styles in which attachment figures are viewed as insufficiently available. These styles have been identified primarily through the use of quantitative methods. However, this risks reducing the intricacy of relational behaviours to discrete and exclusive styles. The use of qualitative methods offers one way to preserve the complexity of relational experiences but there are a limited amount of studies which use this approach. The use of pluralistic...
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Papers by Deborah Rodriguez