Exploring the Discursive Positioning of a Schizophrenic Inpatient Via Method Triangulation

Authors

  • Irit Kupferberg The Shahak Research Center Levinsky College of Education Tel Aviv, Israel
  • Izhak Gilat Levinsky College of Education Tel Aviv, Israel
  • Eyal Dahan Lev Hasharon Mental Health Center Pardesia, Israel
  • Adiel Doron Lev Hasharon Mental Health Center Pardesia, Israel

Abstract

The article examines the contribution of method triangulation to the study of the self- construction of a schizophrenic inpatient in several encounters with a psychiatrist. We used institutional conversation analysis to probe the data for interactional sequence organization, while a positioning analysis enabled us to explore different levels of interpersonal positioning. Positioning is defined as a process whereby interlocutors locate one or several dimensions of their self in relation to others. Using these analyses, we identified, described, and interpreted the inpatient’s discursive attempts, successes, and failures to construct who she was in the psychiatrist-inpatient encounters. The theoretical, methodological, and method frameworks are presented in the first, second, third, and fourth sections. Then, illustrative data are presented and analyzed in the fifth and sixth sections. Finally, the insights gained from the analyses, as well as the contribution of method triangulation, are elaborated on in the discussion.

Author Biographies

Irit Kupferberg, The Shahak Research Center Levinsky College of Education Tel Aviv, Israel

Professor Director of the Shahak Research Centre Levinsky College of Education Tel Aviv, Israel

Izhak Gilat, Levinsky College of Education Tel Aviv, Israel

Professor Levinsky College of Education Tel Aviv, Israel

Eyal Dahan, Lev Hasharon Mental Health Center Pardesia, Israel

Dr. Eyal Dahan, Department A Lev Hasharon Mental Health Center Pardesia, Israel

Adiel Doron, Lev Hasharon Mental Health Center Pardesia, Israel

Dr. Adiel Doron, Head of Department A Lev Hasharon Mental Health Center Pardesia, Israel

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Published

2013-03-15

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Section

Articles