Why Did They Leave School? A Self Determination Theory Perspective into Narratives of Finnish Early School Leavers

The present study aims to provide insights into the experiences of early school leavers within the Finnish context. We conducted a narrative inquiry among eleven early school leavers who were in prison when they were interviewed. Self Determination Theory (SDT), more specifically the concept of frustration of the three basic psychological needs of competence, relatedness and autonomy, and the tendency of people to move towards more supporting environments, was used as an interpretative tool, along with contextual information. We identified three pathways out of school, differing in the locus of need thwarting circumstances and the availability of access to transfer into a more satisfying environment. Furthermore, the experienced threat of safety was a shared element in the narrative accounts. Additionally, the findings add information about experienced indifference in the case of the participants, which is a new element in theorising the continuum of perceived need satisfaction within the terms of SDT

Associations Between Sympathetic Nervous System Synchrony, Movement Synchrony, and Speech in Couple Therapy

Background: Research on interpersonal synchrony has mostly focused on a single modality, and hence little is known about the connections between different types of social attunement. In this study, the relationship between sympathetic nervous system synchrony, movement synchrony, and the amount of speech were studied in couple therapy. Methods: Data comprised 12 couple therapy cases (24 clients and 10 therapists working in pairs as co-therapists). Synchrony in electrodermal activity, head and body movement, and the amount of speech and simultaneous speech during the sessions were analyzed in 12 sessions at the start of couple therapy (all 72 dyads) and eight sessions at the end of therapy (48 dyads). Synchrony was calculated from cross-correlations using time lags and compared to segment-shuffled pseudo synchrony. The associations between the synchrony modalities and speech were analyzed using complex modeling (Mplus). Findings: Couple therapy participants’ synchrony mostly occurred in-phase (positive synchrony). Anti-phase (negative) synchrony was more common in movement than in sympathetic nervous system activity. Synchrony in sympathetic nervous system activity only correlated with movement synchrony between the client-therapist dyads (r = 0.66 body synchrony, r = 0.59 head synchrony). Movement synchrony and the amount of speech correlated negatively between spouses (r = −0.62 body synchrony, r = −0.47 head synchrony) and co-therapists (r = −0.39 body synchrony, r = −0.28 head synchrony), meaning that the more time the dyad members talked during the session, the less bodily synchrony they exhibited. Conclusion: The different roles and relationships in couple therapy were associated with the extent to which synchrony modalities were linked with each other. In the relationship between clients and therapists, synchrony in arousal levels and movement “walked hand in hand”, whereas in the other relationships (spouse or colleague) they were not linked. Generally, more talk time by the therapy participants was associated with anti-phase movement synchrony. If, as suggested, emotions prepare us for motor action, an important finding of this study is that sympathetic nervous system activity can also synchronize with that of others independently of motor action.publishedVersio

Challenges and added value of measuring embodied variables in psychotherapy

Research on embodied aspects of clinical encounters is growing, but discussion on the premises of including embodied variables in empirical research is scarce. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that embodied aspects of psychotherapy interaction are vital in developing a therapeutic alliance, and these should be considered to better understand the change process in psychotherapy. However, the field is still debating which methods should be used and which features of the embodied aspects are relevant in the clinical context. The field lacks methodological consistency as well as a theoretical model. In the Relational Mind research project, we have studied the embodied aspects of interaction in the context of couple therapy for almost a decade and have gained experience with the positive and negative aspects of studying embodied variables in quantitative and qualitative studies. We have set out to develop the methodology (or procedures) for studying embodied variables in a multiperson setting, concentrating on interpersonal synchrony of sympathetic nervous system responses and movements, and we have strived to create methods for integrating information from different embodied modalities. In this narrative review, we share our experiences of the challenges and added value of studying embodied aspects in psychotherapy. The research field urgently needs an ongoing discussion of what researchers should take into consideration when studying the embodied aspects of interaction. We urge researchers to collaborate between research groups to jointly decide on the basic parameters of studies on the different embodied modalities of the research so that the individual researcher can become more aware of the impact the methodological choices have on their studies, results, and interpretations. We also see the use of embodied variables as having added value in the clinical work of psychotherapists, since it not only deepens our understanding about what is helpful in psychotherapy but will enable fine-tuning therapy processes to better suit clients who are verbally less fluent

A web-based physical activity promotion intervention for inactive parent-child dyads: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Low levels of physical activity are associated with numerous adverse health outcomes, yet sedentary lifestyles are common among both children and adults. Physical activity levels tend to decline steeply among children aged between 8 and 12 years, even though children's behavioral patterns are largely governed by familial structures. Similarly, parents' activity levels have been generally reported as lower than those of nonparents of comparable age. For this reason, family-based physical activity promotion interventions are a potentially valuable and relatively underresearched method for mitigating physical activity declines as children develop into adolescents and for increasing physical activity in parents. Objective: This study aims to assess the efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of a novel theory-based web-based physical activity promotion intervention among parent-child dyads in Finland who do not meet physical activity recommendations at baseline. Methods: Participants (target N=254) will be recruited from the general population using a panel company and advertisements on social media and randomly assigned to either an immediate intervention group or a waitlist control group. The intervention consists of 4 web-based group workshops over the course of 10 weeks, web-based tasks and resources, and a social support chat group. Data on physical activity behavior and constructs from the integrated behavior change model will be collected through self-report surveys assessing physical activity, autonomy support, autonomous motivation, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, intention, self-monitoring, habit, and accelerometer measurements at baseline, post intervention, and 3 months post intervention. Exit interviews with participants will assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention procedures. Results: This study will reveal whether the intervention changes leisure-time physical activity among intervention participants relative to the control group and will examine the intervention's effects on important theoretical predictors of physical activity. It will also yield data that can be used to refine intervention materials and inform further implementation. Trial recruitment commenced in September 2023, and data collection should be completed by December 2024. Conclusions: The planned intervention has potential implications for both theory and practice. Practically, the use of an entirely web-based intervention may have scalable future uses for improving physical activity in 2 key populations, while also potentially informing on the value of dyadic, family-based strategies for encouraging an active lifestyle as an alternative to strategies that target either parents or children independently. Further, by assessing change in psychological constructs alongside potential change in behavior, the intervention also allows for important tests of theory regarding which constructs are most linked to favorable behavior change outcomes

Helping clients to help themselves : a discursive perspective to process consulting practices in multi-party settings

Virpi-Liisa Kykyri tarkastelee asiakkaan ja konsultin välistä vuorovaikutusta prosessikonsultoinnin ryhmätilanteissa. Prosessikonsultoinnin keskeisenä periaatteena on auttaa asiakasta auttamaan itse itseään. Jotta tätä ideaalia voidaan toteuttaa, tarvitaan asiakkaan omaa aktiivista osallistumista sekä asiakkaan ja konsultin yhteistoimintaa asiakkaan ongelmien käsittelyssä.Kykyri selvittää tutkimuksessaan, kuinka tämä tehdään käytännössä: millaista puhetta käytetään, jotta saadaan aikaan asiakkaan aktiivista osallistumista, edistetään muutosta ja oppimista nostamalla esiin ja käsittelemällä kritiikkiä, sekä tehdään konsultoinnin tuloksia näkyväksi siihen osallistuvan ryhmän keskuudessa.Asiakkaan aktiivinen osallistuminen tarkoittaa käytännössä sitä, että asiakas osallistuu keskusteluun erityisellä tavalla, jonka Kykyri nimesi omistajuuspuheeksi.- Konsultoinnin omistajuuspuhetta on se, kun asiakas puhuu omasta puolestaan omassa asiassaan sekä ilmaisee ajatuksiaan ja mielipiteitään meneillään olevaan konsultointiin liittyen. Tällainen puhe vastuullistaa puhujaa ja rakentaa hänestä kuvaa aktiivisena toimijana ja kiinnostuneena osallisena. Eikä riitä, että puhutaan vain hyvistä ja toimivista asioista, vaan konsultoinnissa tarvitaan myös puhetta epäkohdista ja kehittämistarpeista. Kritiikillä ja jopa moitteella on sijansa konsultoinnin keskusteluissa, Kykyri kertoo.Ryhmätilanne muodostaa erityisen haasteensa osallistumisen kannalta. Mitään ei tehdä piilossa, vaan kaikki puhe tapahtuu joko osallistuvan ryhmän eli ”yleisön” kanssa tai sen edessä. Kukin osallistuja joutuu puntaroimaan sitä, millä tavoin juuri tässä tilanteessa kannattaa puhua, mikä on toivottua, mikä taas ei-toivottua. Arkisissa keskusteluissa olemme tavallisesti hieman varovaisia, sekä omien toiveiden ja tavoitteiden esittämisessä että etenkin kritiikin ja moitteen ilmaisussa. Tunnistamme herkästi tilanteet, joissa omat tai keskustelukumppanin kasvot voisivat olla uhattuna, ja pyrimme toimimaan hienovaraisesti.Kykyrin mukaan konsultointitilanteessa tämä tavallinen arkipuheen säännöstö ei päde. Konsultointipuhe tarvitsee omat sääntönsä, jotka rakentuvat ryhmässä keskustelun kuluessa.- Kuvaan tutkimuksessani, miten vaikkapa julkisia kehuja tai moitetta houkutellaan esiin, ja miten tätä puhetta sitten käytetään hyödyksi konsultoinnin tavoitteiden saavuttamiseksi, Kykyri havainnollistaa.Kaikessa konsultoinnissa on tärkeää, että saavutetaan tavoiteltuja tuloksia: kehittymistä ja toiminnan parantumista. Ei kuitenkaan riitä, että tuloksia syntyy. Ne pitää myös havaita ja tehdä näkyviksi.- Aktiivisesti osallistuvaa asiakasta tarvitaan myös tässä tehtävässä. Tarvitaan ”todistajia” muutokselle ja saavutetulle edistykselle. Jos yksi osallistuja kertoo konsultointiin osallistuvan ryhmän läsnä ollessa havaitsemistaan edistysaskelista, koko ryhmä tulee tämän muutoksen todistajaksi. Kuvaan tutkimuksessani lähemmin niitä kielellisiä keinoja, joita voidaan käyttää hyödyksi muutoksen tekemisessä näkyväksi ja uskottavaksi konsultoinnin ryhmätilanteissa, Kykyri toteaa.Kykyrin tutkimus on luonteeltaan tapaustutkimus ja se pohjautuu kokonaisen konsultointiprosessin keskustelutaltiointeihin.- Tutkimuksen keskeistä antia ovat yksityiskohtaiset kuvaukset prosessikonsultoinnin puhekäytännöistä. Nämä kuvaukset ovat tilannesidonnaisia ja tapaussidonnaisia siltä osin, mitä tässä konsultointitapauksessa tarkkaan ottaen tehtiin. Sen sijaan kuvaukset siitä, miten nämä asiat tehtiin, ovat laajemmin yleistettäviä. Tilanteisen vuorovaikutuksen tarkastelua kannattaisikin hyödyntää konsultoinnin tutkimuksessa aikaisempaa enemmän, Kykyri suosittaa.This study approaches process consulting work as conversation. The commonly shared ideal of process consulting is to help clients to help themselves. To follow this ideal, active client participation and collaborative work between the consultant and the clients in handling the client’s problems are needed. The aim of this thesis is to find out how this is done through talk: what kind of talk is used in process consulting interaction and how is this achieved during multi-party consulting conversations. More specifically, it is asked what kind of discursive activity was used in multi-party settings to bring about active client participation, to facilitate learning and change by bringing about and handling criticism and blame, and to make preferred outcomes noticed within the participating group. Using the perspectives and methods of Discursive Psychology and Conversational Analysis, it is asked how this is done in an authentic process consultation case.This thesis consists of three articles in which situated discursive practices of process consulting are analyzed in detail. Findings of this case study show the rich variety of discursive means that were utilized in multi-party consulting settings to bring about talk, which is needed to put into practice the process consultation ideal of helping clients to help themselves. These are: conversational structures requiring participant’s turn-by-turn responses with which some talk was marked as preferred and this preferred talk was invited; and conversational means like “fishing” or “factualising devices”, which were used e.g. to strengthen the reliability of speakers and to construct the factuality of descriptions about witnessed change and outcomes of the consulting process.This thesis focuses on multi-party settings of process consulting practices and as such, it highlights the significance of client-consultant collaboration and the role of the audience. I claim that, the interactive audience of this case was used as a method in implementing the process consulting ideals and bringing about the needed talk. In doing this, it is suggested that there is a need to construct and establish conversational norms that deviate from more mundane multiparty conversational settings. In this thesis it is shown how the norm of displaying ownership and the norm of not avoiding face-issues were constructed and utilized for consulting purposes of this case.This study describes in detail the actual discursive practices of process consulting in a way that has not been done before. The findings about what was done in this case are situated and case-specific, but, the findings about how what was done was done can have transportability across other consulting and organization development settings. They can be used in developing the practices and procedures of process consulting work. In addition to that, the findings of this thesis are of interest in depicting the picture of process consulting work as a professional institution and, in conceptualizations of client-consultant role in genera

POLKU-projekti : Keski-Pohjanmaan lasten ja nuorten palveluiden kehittäminen

Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on välittää kuva Polku-projektista, Keski-Pohjanmaan lasten ja nuorten palveluiden kehittämishankkeesta, joka toteutettiin Jyväskylän yliopiston Chydenius-Instituutissa vuosina 1993-1994. Projekti perustettiin kehittämään alueen lasten ja nuorten palveluita toimivammiksi ottaen huomioon asiakkaan näkökulman ja tehostamalla eri alojen ammattilaisten yhteistyötä. Projekti koostui moniammatillisesta kehittämiskoulutusohjelmasta sekä siihen liittyvästä seurantatutkimuksesta, jonka loppuraportti tämä kirja on

Conflict as it happens : Affective elements in a conflicted conversation between a consultant and clients

Purpose Although emotions are relevant for conflicted interactions, the role of emotions in organizational conflicts has remained understudied. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this by looking at the role of nonverbal affective elements in conversations. Design/methodology/approach Bringing together organizational “becoming” and embodiment approaches, the study focused on a conflict which emerged during a multi-actor consulting conversation. The episode in question was analyzed via a detailed, micro-level discursive method which focused specifically on the participants’ use of prosodic and nonverbal behaviors. Findings Changes in prosody were found to have an important role in how the conflict between a consultant and an employee client emerged and was handled. Nonverbal and prosodic means had a central role in creating legitimate space for the employees’ feelings: they helped to validate the feelings and thus led the interlocutors to act in a more constructive manner in their handling of the conflicted situation. Research limitations/implications Findings are based on a single case study. Multi-modal analysis proved effective in capturing the relevant interactions in a comprehensive manner. Practical implications Conversational “traps” may be observed by becoming alert to interactional patterns involving repeated chains of actions. A nonverbal response, validating the interlocutor as someone who is entitled to her/his feelings, can be sufficient in providing emotional help in consultancy. Social implications Nonverbal elements of interactions are important in handling delicate issues in conflicts. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, no previous organizational research has provided a detailed description of a conflicted interaction “as it happened” between clients and a consultant.peerReviewe