How do university students experience using photos to self-identify their character strengths? A Thematic analysis
Journal of Happiness and Health,
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2024),
17 December 2024
,
Page 93-100
https://doi.org/10.47602/johah.v4i2.78
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated demand for mental and emotional well-being support. As a result of the pandemic and the prevailing economic climate, individuals and businesses in the UK have been ‘taking stock’. Positive Psychology Interventions provide the prospect of meeting these needs through strengths-based approaches which demonstrate a host of benefits. One of these is the use of photographs to transform the narratives that people ascribe to their experiences. This intervention may have a range of advantages, including a positive impact on well-being. However, there is relatively little research into the use of photos as a potential tool for self-identifying strengths. To gain an understanding of the lived experience of using photos to elicit strengths, a homogeneous participant sample of nine students studying psychology at a UK university were recruited. The participants undertook an intervention based on that used by Steger et al. (2014) in their pilot study. Each participant was asked to take 9-12 pictures of things that were meaningful to them over the period of one week. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken to analyse the data. Four themes were identified: Experiencing the strength, Feeling uplifted, Being reflective, and Looking to the future. It was found that that the participants experienced the intervention as profound and enriching. The use of the photographs was instrumental in the self-identification of strengths. This study provides valuable insights into the experience of this PPI and may have implications for positive psychology practitioners and coaches.
- Character strengths, meaning, photographs, thematic analysis
How to Cite
References
Azanedo, C. M., Artola, T., Llorente, S. S., & Alvarado, J. M. (2021). Character strengths predict subjective well-being, psychological well-being, and psychopathological symptoms, over and above functional social support. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.661278
Boniwell, I. (2006). Positive psychology in a nutshell. Personal Well-being Centre.
Boniwell, I., & Tunariu, A. (2019). Positive psychology: Theory, research and applications (2nd ed.). McGraw Hill.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. Sage.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2020). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis? Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 328-352. https://doi.org/10. 1080/14780887.2020.1769238
British Psychological Society. (2021). Code of ethics and conduct. Retrieved 21 December 2021, from https://www.bps.org.uk/n ews-and-policy/bps-code-ethics-and-conduct
Brouzos, A., Vassilopoulos, S., Baourda, V., Tassi, C., Stavrou, V., Moschou, K., & Brouzou, K. (2021). “Staying home – feeling positive”: Effectiveness of an online positive psychology group intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01613-x
Craib, I. (1994). The importance of disappointment. London: Routledge.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1992). Flow: The psychology of happiness. Rider.
Donaldson-Wright, M., & Hefferon, K. (2020). ‘A new vision!’: Exploring coachee experiences of using photography in coaching – an interpretative phenomenological analysis. International Journal of Evidence-Based Coaching and Mentoring, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.24384/jjte-xp48
Edwards, R., & Holland, J. (2013). What is qualitative interviewing? Bloomsbury Academic.
Fouracres, A. J. S., & van Nieuwerburgh, C. (2020). The lived experience of self-identifying character strengths through coaching: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. International Journal of Evidence-Based Coaching and Mentoring, 18(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.24384/e0jp-9m61
Frankl, V. E. (1985). Man’s search for meaning (Revised & updated ed.). Washington Square Press/Pocket Books.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218
Green, Z. A. (2021). Character strengths intervention for nurturing well-being among Pakistan’s university students: A mixed-method study. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 14(1), 252–277. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12301
Hausler, M., Strecker, C., Huber, A., Brenner, M., Höge, T., & Höfer, S. (2017). Distinguishing relational aspects of character strengths with subjective and psychological well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017 .01159
Hawkins, P., & Smith, N. (2013). Coaching, mentoring and organizational consultancy: Supervision, skills and development (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Henkel, L. (2013). Point-and-shoot memories. Psychological Science, 25(2), 396-402. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613 504438
Kurtz, J. (2015). Seeing through new eyes: An experimental investigation of the benefits of photography. Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences, 11, 354-358. https://doi.org/10.6000/1927-5129.2015.11.51
Lee, J., Efstratiou, C., Siriaraya, P., Sharma, D., & Ang, C. (2021). SnapAppy: A positive psychology intervention using smartphone photography to improve emotional well-being. Pervasive and Mobile Computing, 73, 101369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmcj.2021.101369
Linley, P. A., & Harrington, S. (2006). Playing to your strengths. Psychologist, 19, 86–89.
Lomas, T., Roache, A., Rashid, T., & Jarden, A. (2019). Developing ethical guidelines for positive psychology practice: An ongoing, iterative, collaborative endeavour. The Journal of Positive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1651892
Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 111-131. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.111
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. American Psychological Association.
Ruch, W., Niemiec, R., McGrath, R., Gander, F., & Proyer, R. (2020). Character strengths-based interventions: Open questions and ideas for future research. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(5), 680-684. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760. 2020.1789700
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.
Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410–421. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.60.5.410
Steger, M., Shim, Y., Rush, B., Brueske, L., Shin, J., & Merriman, L. (2013). The mind’s eye: A photographic method for understanding meaning in people’s lives. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8(6), 530-542. https://doi.org/10.1080/1 7439760.2013.830760
Steger, M. F., Shim, Y., Barenz, J., & Shin, J. Y. (2014). Through the windows of the soul: A pilot study using photography to enhance meaning in life. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3(1), 27–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2013.11. 002
Stoddard, J., & Afari, N. (2014). The big book of ACT metaphors. Oakland.
Teti, M., French, B., Bonney, L., & Lightfoot, M. (2015). “I created something new with something that had died”: Photo-narratives of positive transformation among women with HIV. AIDS and Behavior, 19(7), 1275-1287. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1000-7
Van Nieuwerburgh, C. (2020). An introduction to coaching skills (3rd ed.). Sage Publishing.
VIA Character Strengths Survey & Character Reports. (2022). Retrieved 2 January 2022, from https://viacharacter.org/.
Winnicott, D. W. (1961). Playing and reality. Routledge.
Zarecky, A. (2014). 'How strengths-focused coaching can help military personnel in their transition to 'civvy street.' International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching & Mentoring, 54-66. https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/items/6d6 19f73-0ae1-4c76-9071-59bfa4178248/1/
- Abstract Viewed: 238 times
- Download PDF Downloaded: 121 times