Persons-in-Relation and Q Methodology

Mindfulness Subjectivity through Q Methodology: Training and Practising Mindfulness in an Educational Program as Influential and Transformative

“…The second period transcends the first one by not being so extremely aware of and occupied with oneself and one's own sufferings, rather becoming more aware of the non-self, that is, recognising the other, being on an awakening path, feeling the emptiness in oneself and becoming more compassionate and interested in otherness, the world, nature and the universe (Adams, 2007;Styron, 2005;Levinas, 1985). In the third and late period, according to Styron (2005), advanced students of mindfulness seem to have achieved a deeper enlightenment both about themselves and others, being able to contain the wholeness and integration of the early period, holistically holding both the negative and positive together (Allgood, 1995;Allgood & Kvalsund, 2003;Assagioli, 2007;Kvalsund, 1998Kvalsund, , 2014Macmurray, 1961). However, they no longer fear meeting difficult and challenging situations and persons.…”

“…Through experiencing the early period of mindfulness practice, the Factor one type seems to put heavy weight on the participatory interactions going on in the phenomenal field of mindfulness training, causing the interrelatedness to be primary (Adams, 2007;Allgood, 1995;Allgood & Kvalsund, 2003;Kvalsund, 2014;Kvalsund & Meyer 2005) rather than one's own strong will and intention to change (Assagioli, 1993) and therefore being able to recognise a powerful relational dynamic supporting the change processes. This is pointed out in the non-significant statements 25, 34 and 40, showing that one is indifferent to one's own will as the causal agent for the changes.…”

“…The late period extends the meditator's self by thawing the frozen energy hidden in residual blockages and disorders through applying all the acquired attitudinal virtues of the middle period, resulting in a feeling of deep acceptance and emptiness as well (Hanh, 1995;Kabat-Zinn, 2004;Rogers, 1957;Styron, 2005). In the late period one comes to the realisation that one can accept oneself and others unconditionally as something whole and pure (Allgood, 1995;Rogers, 1961), and one can respect oneself and others while struggling to participate in one's relational universe (Kvalsund, 1998;Macmurray, 1961). Yet, at the same time, in embracing a deeper knowledge and wisdom from the experiences in the late period, there is the ever growing potential of coming back to the equanimity of unconditional acceptance, wholeness and joyful purity (Assagioli, 2007;Styron, 2005).…”

“…Q methodology facilitates the study of subjective behaviour or communication seen from within a holistic personal agency, and is unique in its ability to make subjectivity operant (Stephenson, 1953) through the act of sorting a Q sample of statements to depict subjective views, in this case 48 statements (see Appendix A) about slightly different effects of practising mindfulness (Allgood, 1995;Brown, 1980;Kvalsund, 1998;Stephenson, 1953). The sorting technique in Q methodology is based on seeing all the statements at once, reading them all, perceiving and evaluating them in one interactional field and deciding what each statement means to the Q-sorting person, in order for him or her to place or rank order each statement into a quasi-normal Qsorting grid (see Appendix B ).…”