Skip to main content

Abstract

The advancement of the Dialogiacal Self Theory (DST) in the last two decades has been stimulated by vigorous developments in DST-based research methods recognizing dialogicality as a salient characteristic of the self. This chapter will present the combination of the Personal Position Repertoire (PPR), a method for studying the content and organization of the self, conceived as a dynamic multiplicity of I-positions, with a focus group. This integrated method gives insight into the construction and negotiation of meaning in the dialogue with others and sheds some light on interpersonal processes shaping the content and structure of the self. The chapter is divided into four parts focusing on: (a) the theoretical basis of the PPR method in Dialogical Self Theory, (b) description of the method, including an overview of different possible ways to analyse personal repertoires, (c) two case studies illustrating the application of the PPR method in combination with a focus group discussion, and (d) conclusions discussing the advantages and limitations of the integrated PPR Focus Group method (PPR-FG).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bandlamudi, L. (1999). Developmental discourse as an author/hero relationship. Culture and Psychology, 5, 41–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbour, R. (2007). Doing Focus Groups. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Callaghan, G. (2005). Accessing habitus: Relating structure and agency through focus group research. Sociological Research Online, 10(3).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dahl, H. M. (2009). New public management, care and struggles about recognition. Critical Social Policy, 29(4), 634–654.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duggleby, W. (2005). What about focus group interaction data? Qualitative Health Research, 15(6), 832–840.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gonçalves, M. M., & Ribeiro, A. (2012). Narrative processes of innovation and stability within the dialogical self. In H. J. M. Hermans & T. Gieser (Eds.), Handbook of dialogical self theory (pp. 301–318). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hermans, H. J. M. (1999). Dialogical thinking and self-innovation. Culture and Psychology, 5, 67–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hermans, H. J. M. (2001). The construction of personal position repertoire: Method and practice. Culture & Psychology, 7, 323–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hermans, H. J. M. (2002). The dialogical self as a society of mind. Theory & Psychology, 12(2), 147–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hermans, H. J. M. (2003). The construction and reconstruction of a dialogical self. Journal of Constructivist Psychology. Special Issue on the Dialogical Self, 16, 89–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hermans, H. J. M. (2008). How to perform research on the basis of dialogical self theory? Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 21(3), 185–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hermans, H. J. M., & Dimaggio, G. (2007). Self, identity, and globalisation in times of uncertainty: A dialogical analysis. Review of General Psychology, 11, 31–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hermans, H. J. M., & Hermans-Jansen, E. (1995). Self-narratives: The construction of meaning in psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hermans, H. J. M., & Hermans-Konopka, A. (2008). Dialogical self theory: Introduction to the special issue. Studia Psychologica, 8, 5–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hermans, H. J. M., & Hermans-Konopka, A. (2010). Dialogical self theory. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hermans, H. J. M., Kempen, H. J. G., & Van Loon, R. (1992). The dialogical self: Beyond individualism and rationalism. American Psychologist, 47, 23–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosking, D. M. (2011). Telling tales of relations: Appreciating relational constructionism. In themed issue: Responses to social constructionism & critical realism in organization studies. Organization Studies, 32(1), 47–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jarrett, R. L. (1993). Focus group interviewing with low-income minority populations: A research experience. In D. L. Morgan (Ed.), Successful focus groups: Advancing the state of the art (pp. 184–201). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jasper, C., Moore, H., Whittaker, L., & Gillespie, A. (2011). Methodological approaches to studying the self in its social context. In H. J. M. Hermans & T. Gieser (Eds.), Handbook of dialogical self theory (pp. 319–334). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • KarnielI-Miller, O., Strier, R., & Pessach, L. (2009). Power relations in qualitative research. Qualitative Health Research, 19, 279–289.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kluger, A. N., Nir, D., & Kluger, Y. (2008). Personal position repertoire (PPR) from a bird’s eye view. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 21, 223–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krippendorff, K. (1980). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krotofil, J. (2012). Religion, migration, and the dialogical self: New application of the personal position repertoire method. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 26(2), 90–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucius-Hoene, G., & Deppermann, A. (2000). Narrative identity empiricized: A dialogical and positioning approach to autobiographical research interviews. Narrative Inquiry, 10(1), 199–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madriz, E. (2000). Focus groups in feminist research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 835–850). Thousand Oaks, CL: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marianski, J. (2003). Parafia szansa przemian polskiego katolicyzmu [The parish as a prospect of change in Polish Catholicism]. Socjologia Religii, 1, 183–206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mascolo, M. F., & Bhatia, S. (2002). The dynamic construction of culture, self and social relations. Psychology & Developing Societies, 14(5), 55–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monard, M. (2013). On a scale of one to five, who are you? Mixed methods in identity research. Acta Sociologica, 56(4), 347–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polkinghorne, D. E. (1995). Narrative configuration in qualitative analysis. Qualitative Studies in Education, 8(1), 5–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ricoeur, P. (1984). Time and narrative (Vol. 1). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sages, R., & Lundsten, J. (2015). Meaning constitution analyses: A penomenological appraach to research in human sciences. Retrieved from: http://www.iaccp.org/drupal/sites/default/files/spetses_pdf/22_Sages.pdf

  • Salgado, J., & Hermans, H. J. M. (2005). The return of subjectivity: From a multiplicity of selves to the dialogical self. E-Journal of Applied Psychology, 1, 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, D., Valsiner, J., & Holland, D. (2001). Discerning the dialogical self: A theoretical and methodological examination of a Nepali adolescent’s narrative. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 2(3).

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, D. W., & Shamdasani, P. N. (1990). Focus groups: Theory and practice. Newbury Park, CL: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, P. (2012). Qualitative data analysis using a dialogical approach. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valsiner, J. (2007). Culture in minds and societies. New Delhi, India: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Dijk, T. A. (2001). Critical discourse analysis. In D. Tannen, D. Schiffrin, & H. Hamilton (Eds.), Handbook of discourse analysis (pp. 352–371). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joanna Krotofil .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Krotofil, J. (2016). The Personal Position Repertoire method and Focus Group Discussion. In: Hermans, H. (eds) Assessing and Stimulating a Dialogical Self in Groups, Teams, Cultures, and Organizations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32482-1_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics