Qualitative analysis of sociotherapists’ self-narratives about the problems of adolescent group participants and the progress of sociotherapy

Abstract

The aim of the research presented here was to examine, from the perspective of sociotherapists’ narratives, the primary issues encountered by group participants and how sociotherapists narrate their interactions – whether they succeeded, failed, or resulted in little change despite the intervention. We analyzed self-narratives from seventeen sociotherapists regarding their own experiences in sociotherapeutic work. In the first step, we conducted an inductive content analysis and categorized the problems of the group participants. In the second step, we determined the type of self-narration (progressive, regressive, or stable) with the assistance of qualified assessors using the deductive method of narrative analysis, with predefined categories. The analysis allowed us to identify different ways of describing problems: nozological (symptomatic), psychological one with explanatory power, attributional (relatively stable characteristics), and behavioral (focusing on behavior). These problems were presented as being located within the individual, family, or group. We described three trajectories of sociotherapy: progressive, in which interactions move closer to the goal; regressive, in which interactions move away from the goal; and stable, in which interactions have no effect. Comparing the portrayal of problems with the way problems are narrated revealed that the use of psychological language in describing problems is associated with the use of stable narratives, while it is less specific in the case of progressive and regressive narratives. These initial findings are relevant to the diagnosis in sociotherapy.