Hanne Haavind

Boys' bodies and the constitution of adolescent masculinities

In the social transition between childhood and adolescence, boys draw on discourses of masculinity that address the male body in constituting themselves as adolescents. They make themselves as no longer children and acquire a sense of themselves as adolescents by performing bodily practices that position them within some of these discourses. Repeated personal interviews conducted during the course of several years with 14 boys from an inner city area of Oslo provide the data for analysing the way the becoming as an adolescent boy affects possible and impossible ways of becoming an adolescent male. Some boys enacted the strong body discourse while exercising in the gym, others did so through improving their technical skills in competitive sports, and still others did so in aiming to achieve a body that was able to defend itself when encountering trouble in the city centre. In positioning themselves within discourses of masculinity that address the male body, and performing practices that constitute them within some of these, the boys were able to produce masculinities that could be valued and challenged in contexts such as schools.

The Nordic Countries - Welfare Paradises for Women and Children?

Gender equality and generous welfare policies, combined with a long history of high numbers of women in political assemblies and governments, are highprofile traits of the five countries in the far north of Western Europe (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). Many outside observers see the welfare policies, especially those related to parental leave and childcare, as among the most important characteristics of these countries. And Nordic governments are fond of promoting this picture. Nordic feminists, in their turn, are often asked by colleagues elsewhere to judge their own countries: are they the paradises for women that they claim to be? This commentary is our attempt to give some brief answers to that question. Over the decades since World War II, changes in welfare policies and family and labour legislation have made life easier for many women in these countries. The welfare policies made it possible for the majority of women to participate more actively in society outside the home – primarily in the labour market, but for many also in politics and other public arenas. Ultimately, such changes in women’s lives also challenge men’s ways of life. Some effects of such challenges appear in recent tendencies among men to invest more time in childcare, and in characteristic debates, dilemmas and conflicts in the relations between women and men. Today these dilemmas and conflicts tend to be constantly high on the political agenda, fuelled by feminist politicians and activists, and with many feminist researchers taking active parts in debates. At the same time, women in the Nordic countries still make less money than men, work part-time more than men, and take care of family, children and housework more than men do. Also, there are still only a few women at really high organizational levels in practically all sectors of the labour market; and men’s violence against women does not seem to be less prevalent than in other countries

What Constitutes a Good Working Alliance in Therapy with Children That May Have Been Sexually Abused

The use of qualitative methods in a case by case study of fifteen psychotherapies with children allowed for inquiries into how the working alliance can be established when children are involved. Therapy hours were recorded, and the children’s, their caregivers’ and the therapists’ views about what happened during therapy were collected at the end of therapy and at one year follow-up. The referral to psychotherapy was a suspicion of sexual abuse. The results show how the working alliance is related to not only the child’s, but also the caregiver’s understanding of the therapeutic process. This includes sharing an understanding of the therapeutic goals and tasks, the emotional bond, and how the caregivers become involved and support their children’s participation in therapy. An expanded understanding of Bordin’s concept of the working alliance along two dimensions is suggested: the first one is from an adult to a child deduced understanding of the therapeutic process that bears in mind the child’s capacity for understanding complex change processes, and the second is from a dyadic to a systemic understanding of the alliance.

Exploring vulnerability to suicide in the developmental history of young men: a psychological autopsy study

This study explores the developmental history of ten young men who completed suicide in the transition to adulthood. The young men, aged 18–30, had no previous history of suicide attempts or treatment in mental health. In-depth interviews with four to eight informants for each suicide were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three developmental issues from early age onwards emerged: (a) unsuccessful in becoming independent; (b) weakened competence to deal with shame; and (c) trapped in anger. The capacity to regulate emotions like shame and anger could make certain men vulnerable to suicide when facing adult challenges and defeats.

Parenting After a Natural Disaster: A Qualitative Study of Norwegian Families Surviving the 2004 Tsunami in Southeast Asia

How do parents support their children after a high-impact disaster? To answer this question, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 51 Norwegian parents. These parents and children were all severely exposed to the trauma of the tsunami disaster. The analyses show how parents interpret their children’s signs of distress, as well as their own strategies of support in the aftermath. The main strategies described by the parents were watchful waiting, careful monitoring of the children’s reactions and a sensitive timing when providing support. Such monitoring, and interpretation of signs of distress, served as an aid for the parents in determining what needs their children had and what support they therefore needed to provide. A range of support strategies were employed, including re-establishing a sense of safety, resuming normal roles and routines, and talking to their children. Parents who were themselves severely impacted by the disaster reported a reduced ability to assess their children’s reactions and thereby were unable to provide optimal care in the aftermath. Interestingly, the parents’ support strategies mirror the early intervention recommendations put forward in the NICE guidelines and in the Psychological First Aid guidelines which is a well accepted and promising practice for helping children after disasters.

Book Review: Towards a multifaceted understanding of children as social participants

When Alan Prout, the editor of this book series, chose the overall title, ‘The Future of Childhood’, he was not seeking to predict how childhood will turn out for children as they move into the future. Instead, the series title alludes to the changing – and varied – societal conditions that contemporary children are up against in the shaping of their lives. The seven volumes in the series, with contributions from more than 100 authors, draw attention to current directions in the organization and meanings of childhood. The interdisciplinary group of authors share an aim: to demonstrate how to turn around

We have travelled a long distance and sorted out the mess in the drawers: Metaphors for moving towards the end in psychotherapy

Abstract Aim: To explore the process of ending in psychotherapy, in particular how clients and therapists draw on their notions of client improvements and prepare for the upcoming end. Data: The data comes from an intensive process-outcome study at the University of Oslo, Norway. The study includes audio-recording from all sessions and separate post-therapy interviews with clients and therapists. Twelve psychotherapy dyads were selected because they had reached a ‘good enough’ ending. Therapy duration ranged from 7–43 months. The number of sessions ranged from 10–67. Method and analysis: A hermeneutical-phenomenological approach analysed and combined the observational and reflexive data. The analysis was carried out using a method for systematic text condensation and through reflexive dialogues with the material and between the researchers. Findings and discussion: The language of improvement towards the end of treatment seemed packed with metaphors conveying growth in both affective and relational manage...

Becoming a mother through culture

“Culture” is often considered in terms of identifiable artifacts, rules, and practices, with less attention given to how investment in these features comes about. Using data extracts from a case study of a young woman who is becoming a mother for the first time, we pay attention to how people react to cultural processes in terms of how they “feel.” We use our own affective and reflective responses to interviews and observational material about her experiences with feeding her baby within the context of an extended family of Bangladeshi descent in a contemporary East London setting. Drawing on Bakhtin’s concept of “voice” and Bion’s theory of thinking as an emergent phenomenon necessitated by the pressure of emotional experience, we trace how her own wishes became more articulated and were given precedence among the diverse voices of others about how to feed her baby son. We suggest an account of personal agency in which a dynamic, processual subjectivity will draw on as well as transform the web of relationships that a culture has to offer.

Early relationship struggles: A case study of alliance formation and reparation

Abstract Aim: A good alliance established during the early sessions of psychotherapy will most likely lead to a good outcome. As a result, there is much to learn from a case in which both the patient and therapist regarded the alliance as being poor for an extended period (the first 15 sessions), yet still managed to develop a solid and stable alliance and reach a successful completion of therapy. The aim is to give a close inspection of this reparation process. Methods and analysis: Ratings on the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) were used to guide the strategic selection of a case in which a depressed woman in her thirties sought help from an experienced senior male psychotherapist. A detailed analysis of the therapeutic dialogue brought forth what the parties expected from each other and how they responded to explicit and implicit expressions about how to proceed. Post-termination interviews revealed their subjective configurations of events in therapy and their corresponding reflections. Findings and ...

From a Cracking Façade to a Total Escape: Maladaptive Perfectionism and Suicide

This study explored the final stages of the suicide process among six men characterized as maladaptive perfectionists. These men, aged 22 to 58, had no history of suicide attempts or mental health treatment. In-depth interviews with 5 to 9 informants for each person were analyzed by using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three themes emerged from the analysis: (a) a cracking façade; (b) a total loss of coping ability; and (c) a total escape. Suicide was related to a shameful defeat that was not reversible, and a loss of the ability to handle such feelings of defeat and shame.