Multiple psychological senses of community and community influences on personal recovery processes from substance use problems in later life: a collaborative and deductive reflexive thematic analysis

Purpose: There is a pressing need for substance use services to know more about how to promote recovery from substance use problems, particularly in later life. Psychological sense of community (PSOC) is an important recovery dimension. This study aims to clarify in what ways PSOC and communities influence later life recovery processes. Method: A collaborative and deductive reflexive thematic approach was used to analyse 23 interviews with older adults in recovery from different substance use problems. Results: The findings suggest that PSOC and recovery in later life include multiple commu nities (relational, geographical, substance use-related, ideal and service-related) and affective states (PSOC and NPSOC). Older adults’ recovery, moreover, can be described as personal and heterogenic (with respect to community relationships, individual needs, type of substance use problem, age of onset and meaningful activities). Conclusions: The findings confirm age of onset, type of substance use problem and com munity memberships as essential to later life recovery. They also supplement prior evidence on community resources and challenges to later life recovery. Importantly, the new findings extend and nuance current understandings of later life recovery. Taken together, the article illustrates MPSOC as a useful concept, with central practical and theoretical implications for later life recovery.publishedVersio

In what ways do emerging adults with substance use problems experience their communities as influencing their personal recovery processes?

Applying the multiple psychological sense of community concept (MPSOC), this study explored how emerging adults with substance use problems experience the influences of various senses of community and communities on their personal recovery processes. Semi-structured interviews with 21 emerging adults from different urban contexts in Norway were analysed using a collaborative, seven-step, deductive, and reflexive thematic approach. MPSOC is shown to be a key concept for achieving a broad, in-depth understanding of emerging adults' senses of community and personal experiences of community influences on recovery processes from substance use. Positive and negative senses of community in geographical, relational, substance use-related and ideal communities influence the potentials and challenges in emerging adults' recovery processes. Supportive and motivating community relationships, meaningful activities with peers, and distance from recovery-impeding communities were identified as important recovery components. To promote recovery and prevent substance use in emerging adults, community approaches and tools applied in substance use treatment have to take into account and utilise multidimensional and age group-specific aspects of belonging.publishedVersio

From an individualized to a societal social psychology: Ideology and ideological changes as reflected in language usage.

In our article we will first briefly review developments within critical psychology in Norway in the years after we prepared a review for Annual Review of Critical Psychology (in 2006). The substantial part of the article, however, will be an analysis and critical discussion of social psychology based on the assumption that social psychology (and the other social sciences) has a moral obligation to contribute in resolving pressing problems of our time; problems representing real threats to mankind and life on our planet (such as pollution and climate change, terrorism, poverty and unjust distribution of goods in an era of globalization, etc). These pressing problems of our time are somehow related to or even anchored in the currently globalizing ideology of neoliberalism. Our conclusion on this analysis will be that this assumption demands a social psychology rather different from the currently predominant experimental and laboratory based social psychology which individualizes the social. In particular, social psychology has to take the concept of ideology – a concept which is currently ignored or even excluded in mainstream social psychology - into consideration if social psychology is going to contribute to resolve challenging problems of our time (as they all carry ideological implications). Annual review of critical psychology 10: Critical Psychology in a Changing World: Building Bridges and Expanding the Dialogue, Pages 741-755. http://www.discourseunit.com/annual-review

Critical psychology in Norway: A brief review commenting on why critical psychology is currently virtually absent.

In this review article we will present a brief historical outline of critical psychology in Norway. Some reasons why Norwegian critical psychology is currently virtually absent will be given. Finally, a review of critical voices that can nevertheless be heard will be presented. First, however, we will briefly outline what is implied by critical psychology in this review as the word ‘critical’ is being used in a variety of different ways. In academic contexts ‘critical’ is definitely a word of honor. Nobody wants to be characterized as uncritical, naïve, non reflected, or whatever the opposite (antonym) of critical is taken to be. Naturally, it is not this common sense meaning of the word ‘critical’ we have in mind when we review critical psychology in Norway. Frankly, we have met several critical psychologists who are naïve indeed. (Not to speak about all the mainstream psychologists we have met who are naïve in their belief in the neutrality of science.) Annual review of critical psychology 5: Critical Psychology in a Changing World (Contributions from different geo-political regions) Pages 167-173. http://www.discourseunit.com/annual-review

Understanding Satisfaction: An Analysis of the Meaning Potential of the Word "Satisfaction" in Everyday Norwegian Language

Satisfaction with life is often considered to be a component of or a synonym for subjective well-being. However, the meaning of “satisfaction” is rarely discussed in the scientific literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the meaning potential of the Norwegian term for satisfaction (tilfredshet). A conceptual analysis was conducted based on the qualitative responses of 276 Norwegian adults to the question “What is satisfaction for you?” Based on principles of thematic analysis, text data units were examined to develop a framework of recurrent themes and superordinate categories. The analysis demonstrated that the word “satisfaction” in everyday Norwegian language does not unequivocally point toward a unitary, clear-cut affective or evaluative phenomenon. Instead, its meaning potential was found to include material, physiological and interpersonal conditions, activities, internal psychological states, and circumstances and contexts of well-being, connected by temporal and causal assumptions. In addition to hedonic understandings, eudaimonic and processual conceptualizations of satisfaction were identified. Findings support a conceptual co-existence of satisfaction as satisficing (conditions evaluated as good enough) and as more optimal fulfilment (conditions evaluated as good). Further qualitative studies of conceptual understanding across cultural contexts and languages are recommended. This research has been published in the Journal of Happiness Studies. © 2017 Springer Verla

Youth’s future orientation and well-being: Materialism and concerns with education and career among Norwegian and Turkish youth

Youths’ well-being and subjectivity are strongly related to prevailing political, economic, and social conditions. Neoliberalism has extensively permeated societies worldwide, changing the way individuals, especially youth, make sense of their surroundings and themselves. There is thus an increasing need to investigate how youth subjectivities are influenced in contemporary societies that are under the influence of neoliberalism. Through an analysis of the future orientation of youth, we can investigate discourses that shape youth subjectivities. In this study, we perform a Foucauldian discourse analysis of the future orientation of youth — high school students, from two national contexts, Turkey and Norway — who were asked to write an essay on their personal futures. We investigate what dominant discourses are revealed in the youths’ writings and how they may influence their subjectivities and well-being. We detail two frameworks of discourses, one pertaining to materialism and the other pertaining to education and career, that our participants drew upon in their writings. We relate these discourses to neoliberalism and discuss the extent to which youth constitute themselves as neoliberal subjects of their respective societies. We discuss how these discourses may also be related to their well-being in diverse ways

Responsibility for Psychological Sense of Community and Well-Being in Old Age: A Qualitative Study of Urban Older Adults in Norway

The purpose of the present study is to explore older adults’ understanding and conceptualizations of the concept “psychological sense of community” (PSOC) as experiences of belonging and being part of seem to be important in old age. Twelve older informants from Oslo (the capital of Norway) were interviewed. A thematic and discourse analytical approach was used to identify and depict the most central themes in the older adults’ meaning of PSOC in-depth and in relation to context. The findings show that there are important parts of Norwegian older adults’ meanings of PSOC that goes beyond dimensions included in the predominant conceptualization of PSOC. “Individual responsibility for PSOC in old age”, identified as the most salient theme, reflects core Norwegian cultural values and provides new insight to premises of PSOC and well-being in old age. Furthermore, the findings in this Scandinavian sample extend the understanding of older adults’ efforts to maintain their PSOC and well-being through life-changing transitions

Responsibility for Psychological Sense of Community and Well-Being in Old Age: A Qualitative Study of Urban Older Adults in Norway

The purpose of the present study is to explore older adults’ understanding and conceptualizations of the concept “psychological sense of community” (PSOC) as experiences of belonging and being part of seem to be important in old age. Twelve older informants from Oslo (the capital of Norway) were interviewed. A thematic and discourse analytical approach was used to identify and depict the most central themes in the older adults’ meaning of PSOC in-depth and in relation to context. The findings show that there are important parts of Norwegian older adults’ meanings of PSOC that goes beyond dimensions included in the predominant conceptualization of PSOC. “Individual responsibility for PSOC in old age”, identified as the most salient theme, reflects core Norwegian cultural values and provides new insight to premises of PSOC and well-being in old age. Furthermore, the findings in this Scandinavian sample extend the understanding of older adults’ efforts to maintain their PSOC and well-being through life-changing transitions

Everyday Understandings of Happiness, Good Life, and Satisfaction: Three Different Facets of Well-being

The need for increasing conceptual clarity within well-being research has been stressed by social scientists as well as policymakers and international organizations. The present study aimed to identify and compare conceptual structures of the everyday terms happiness, a good life, and satisfaction, based on a semi-stratified sample of Norwegian adults. Findings indicate that these terms share certain conceptual similarities, as used in everyday Norwegian language. For each term, it was possible to identify an underlying structure of conceptual configuration, articulated into external life domain components and internal, psychological dimensions. Relationship themes were prominent among the external domains for all three terms. Findings indicated that in Norwegian participants’ understanding, happiness and good life were highly inclusive of external life domains, whereas satisfaction primarily evoked associations to internal, psychological states and experiences. Latent class analyses highlighted differences among socio-demographic groups as concerns the degree to which different conceptualizations of the three terms were endorsed. Findings raise questions about the practice, relatively common in the applied social sciences, of treating happiness, good life and satisfaction as highly similar concepts, and the assumption that each term carries the same meaning for everyone. This research has been published in Applied Research in Quality of Life. © 2016 Springer Verla