Exploring internal conversations to understand the experience of young adults transitioning out of care

Abstract

Margaret Archer's model of reflexivity suggests that it is our internal conversations, those conversations we have within our own minds, that enable us to decide how we act in relation to the constraints and enablements of social structure to realise a meaningful life. We use the concept of internal conversations to explore the experience of six care leavers. In-depth interviews were carried out, using the interview structure proposed by Archer, to elicit discussion of internal conversations. The research had three related aims: explore the relevance of Archer's model of reflexivity to care leavers; explore how they make sense of planning and the future; and consider how care leavers make sense of their family and social relationships. There was considerable diversity in internal conversations and in how useful they were perceived to be; We suggest that previous trauma may impact the reflexivity of care leavers and how they engage in planning. Eight themes are discussed including: planning; early trauma and future orientation; making sense of themselves and their past; and the complexity of social relationships. The plurality of attitudes to future planning is of relevance to how care leavers are supported, particularly to pathway or transition planning.

Internal conversations, self-reliance and social support in emerging adults transitioning from out-of-home care: An interpretative phenomenological study

“…In the present book this mental activity is called 'internal conversation' but is also known inter alia as 'self-talk' --- (Archer, 2007, p. 2) People's reflexive sense of what matters -what is subjectively important to them as individuals -makes it possible to plan, participate and function in society (Archer, 2003). It follows that the internal conversations of young people who regard themselves as particularly self-reliant would be of interest (and practical relevance) in the context of severe and sometimes repeated ruptures between young people and their formative social and emotional support systems (Barratt, Appleton & Pearson, 2020;Hung & Appleton, 2016). In a qualitative study of internal conversations, using Archer's semi-structured internal conversations interview (Archer, 2003, pp.…”

Anchors for deliberation and shared deliberation: Understanding planning in young adults transitioning from out-of-home care

“…Second, for young people in transition from care (or ‘leaving care’ or ageing ‘out of care’ – I use the terms interchangeably), multiple barriers may frustrate attempts to ‘get a life’ (Pryce et al., 2017). Third, there is preliminary evidence that at least some young adults who are leaving care may be sceptical about future-oriented planning (Barratt et al., 2019; Hung and Appleton, 2016).…”

“…Quantitative data on transition from care are matched by qualitative data showing young people often feeling isolated and unsupported (Cunningham and Diversi, 2013; Hiles et al., 2014; Munford and Sanders, 2015; Natalier and Johnson, 2015; Stein, 2006), and struggling to seek help (Pryce et al., 2017) – a picture that, for some young people, contrasts sharply with the ‘ideal’ of emerging adulthood as exploration. Barriers are likely to affect expectations, and confidence and willingness to plan, but the specific literature on this is sparse (Barratt et al., 2019; Cook et al., 2005; Geenen and Powers, 2007; Glynn and Mayock, 2019; Hung and Appleton, 2016; Lemus et al., 2017; Sulimani-Aidan, 2015).…”

“…Fourth, in two recent qualitative studies of young adult care leavers in England, some participants were sceptical about prospective planning, with strongly felt and detailed deliberations about this stance (Barratt et al., 2019; Hung and Appleton, 2016). Our findings led us to consider more carefully how to describe and understand the early stages of planning a life, in the context of emerging adulthood, multiple barriers to effective planning and historic maltreatment.…”

“…In two recent studies of young adults leaving care several individuals expressed strong feelings about their intentions not to plan for the future (Barratt et al., 2019; Hung and Appleton, 2016). In this paper, I treat this stance as a ‘policy’ – as an anchored self-governing planning policy of not planning .…”