The potential of the commonplace: A sociological study of emotions, identity                 and therapeutic change

Skatvedt, Astrid; Schou, Kirsten Costain

doi:10.1177/1403494810382814

Cited by 21 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…A subject‐ontological perspective presupposes that social responsivity takes place. It implies mutuality and reverberation that may move the person to think differently about himself or herself; that is, move towards another self‐feeling, or a self‐feeling (Cooley [1902] ) and to another position in her/his biography (Skatvedt and Costain Schou ). This is consistent with Sacks, Jefferson, and Schegloff's () process of “doing being ordinary” or even “doing becoming ordinary” (Skatvedt ).…”

Section: Discussion: Being Human Together As a Generic Social Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…What is fellow humanity?” Martin bursts out, as if surprised that I had asked about something so obvious: “It's presence of minds! That's where the souls meet, of course!” (Skatvedt :387).…”

Section: Rich Ordinarinessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As I do here, these authors direct their attention to embedding processes in everyday social life and their impact on identity (re‐)construction. The lack of knowledge in this area has been noted in several studies (Haugan ; Jetten, Haslam, and Haslam ; Murphy ; Skatvedt ). We lack understanding, not necessarily of the importance of informal, everyday meetings, but of what occurs at a deeper level when such situations become significant for recovery and well‐being.…”

Section: Rich Ordinarinessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The experience of being moved has a logic of its own: “I'm moved, ergo what goes on is true” (Skatvedt and Costain Schou :86). The stories represent the core of my findings in studies of people who carry the weight of unwanted deviancy.…”

Section: Physical Dramatizations Of Authenticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Importance of “Empty Gestures” in Recovery: Being Human Together

Skatvedt

2017

Symbolic Interaction

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What do clients/patients want or value from their encounters with healthcare providers? Based on ethnographic research conducted with individuals suffering from drug addiction and mental health issues, this article argues that clients/patients treasure “everyday” or “human” interaction with medical staff. Everydayness is accomplished through three generic social processes: **co‐silence, inclusion in back‐stage activity, and physical dramatizations of authenticity. These processes and other ordinary interactional strategies for “being human together” should be seen as vital tools for recovery.

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Section: Discussion: Being Human Together As a Generic Social Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Rich Ordinarinessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Rich Ordinarinessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Physical Dramatizations Of Authenticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Importance of “Empty Gestures” in Recovery: Being Human Together

Skatvedt

2017

Symbolic Interaction

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“…Det kan vaere en trygghet for pasientene å ha behandler så mye tilstede for seg, slik de får sjansen til å bli litt kjent med vedkommende og tør å si ifra hvis det er noe de kjenner på. Dette er et viktig funn som indikerer at behandlerrelasjon har en betydelig rolle ved avrusning, slik som den har i rusbehandling og psykiatri (Ball et al, 2006;Bellack et al, 2006;De Weert-van Oene et al, 2001;Grosenick & Hatmaker, 2000;Kasarabada et al, 2002;Kirouac et al, 2016;McCallum et al, 2016;Ormbostad et al, 2017;Skatvedt & Schou, 2010).…”

Section: Diskusjonunclassified

Pasienttilfredshet i en avrusningsinstitusjon for pasienter med rusmiddelproblemer - en kvantitativ deskriptiv studie

2019

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Patient satisfaction in inpatient detoxification for substance use disorders - a quantitative descriptive studyThe primary purpose of the study is to discover important factors for patients at inpatient detoxification by studying patient satisfaction. Data were collected from a patient experience survey carried out from 2013-2015 at a detoxification unit in Norway. The study includes 185 responses (response rate 62 %). Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Significant associations were found between patients’ satisfaction and all the factors of the therapeutic relationship except respect and courtesy, support and motivation, which were non-significant in this study. Conversations with therapist showed the largest effect on patient satisfaction (effect size (ES) = 1.27), followed by conversations with doctor (ES = 0.78) and compassionate staff (ES = 0.52). The results suggest that the therapeutic relationship is associated with patient satisfaction in inpatient detoxification.

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Small things—‘It felt like love’—The experience of being deeply moved in therapy: Clients' stories of the small things that matter in therapy

Alessandrini

2023

Couns and Psychother Res

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ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore clients' lived experiences of being deeply moved or touched by something that the therapist said or did and to investigate to what extent this relates to the phenomenon of Kama Muta (being moved by love). Kama Muta is described as a social‐relational emotion, which seems to play a central role in connecting to others and is tied to emotional processes. It appears that research on Kama Muta is still in its infancy; while it has been explored and analysed within the context of social psychology and nature, there has been scarce analysis and research to date on the specific implications of Kama Muta for therapy; however, it seems to represent an appropriate way to think about the small things phenomenon proposed for this research. The purpose of this research was to explore whether ‘being moved by the “small things”’ in therapy matters to clients and what impact it has on the processes of change. It aimed at advancing our comprehension about which factors, outside the typical therapeutic treatment, may help strengthen the therapist–client relationship. Therefore, the author explores how clients are ‘moved’ in therapy by the small things, whether those experiences can be classified as Kama Muta and the implications of this for the therapeutic field.MethodSeven participants, five students in counselling and psychotherapy and two fully accredited psychotherapists, took part in qualitative semi‐structured interviews about their experiences as clients of being deeply moved or touched during therapy. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis. For reasons of ethics approval, the author selected participants who either were on a path to become therapists or were fully accredited. The interviewer asked participants to recall events retrospectively; thus, the interviewees were not clients who were currently undergoing treatment. The author used scripts to open and close the interviews, thus sharing all relevant information about the study with the interviewees, including informed consent and confidentiality. The same script with open‐ended questions was used with all seven participants. All participants were informed of the purpose of the research beforehand and had the opportunity to ask questions and share additional thoughts throughout the process. The interviews were recorded using a digital voice recorder and transcribed using a transcribing software.ResultsCoding schemes were inductively developed exclusively from the data gathered from the interviews. The author maintained a rigorous reflexivity practice throughout, and data were analysed and validated by a second coder to overcome subjective biases. As a result, five themes emerged from the thematic analysis: words, gestures, meaning, small things and Kama Muta, and embodied memory. Participants described these small things as ‘light‐bulb moments’, ‘little awakenings’ and ‘small but powerful interactions’. All participants reported feeling a deepening in the connection with their therapist, the self and others. The therapist making a cup of tea can have a powerful effect on levelling the power dynamics implicit in the therapeutic relationship. A light touch on the shoulder from the therapist has a lasting effect on the spirit.ConclusionThe research suggests that ‘being moved by the small things’ in therapy has a powerful, transformative effect and elicits the desire to connect to self and others. Additionally, being moved in the context of therapy appears to be related to Kama Muta. An implication for therapy is asking ourselves to consider the role of these love‐bearing interactions in our professional work, given the powerful impact they may have on our clients' healing processes. The findings seem to celebrate the importance of the ‘small things’, which may usually be underestimated and overlooked. These interactions appear to be spontaneous, sudden and genuine, thus diverging from formal protocols. Making a cup of tea becomes a heart‐warming equaliser in the relationship and can mean more than a thousand words. If healing happens in the context of two people relating to each other, the research on the small things and Kama Muta shines a light on the vital role of the therapist showing their humanness and warmth through unexpected acts and ways of being. While boundaries must be maintained, the literature shows that small things are often experienced when they fall outside the traditional roles and boundaries; a phone call from a therapist, having a smoke or a walk together is seen as ‘one of the most important experiences in therapy’. When therapists are willing to show their human side, deepening in connection seems to be more likely. When professionals show a little bit of themselves, would that make it easier for the client to do the same? While we may not be able to include the small things within institutional guidelines due to their spontaneous nature, the research may help inform practices heavily based on diagnosis, emotional detachment from patients and highly structured hierarchies. Maybe there is an opportunity to rethink organisational environments to promote human relatedness and social solidarity towards more person‐centred practices. As this research is exploratory and only includes a small sample of participants, further in‐depth research is needed to examine the significance of these processes and their implications for practice.

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The potential of the commonplace: A sociological study of emotions, identity and therapeutic change

Cited by 21 publications

References 5 publications

The Importance of “Empty Gestures” in Recovery: Being Human Together

The Importance of “Empty Gestures” in Recovery: Being Human Together

Pasienttilfredshet i en avrusningsinstitusjon for pasienter med rusmiddelproblemer - en kvantitativ deskriptiv studie

Small things—‘It felt like love’—The experience of being deeply moved in therapy: Clients' stories of the small things that matter in therapy

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