Jun

25

Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Action Orientation

June 25, 2007 | posted by Ryan | Leave a Comment

Through our consulting, Scott and I have found an interesting relationship between procrastination, perfectionism, and action orientation. This sacred triangle has helped us help others - through figuring out where on the “triangle” one is at to learning how to balance all sides of the triangle. Quite often one or two of the three will be overemphasized, and quite often those who come to us have the procrastination-perfectionism combination. Admittedly there are many elements that affect procrastination, as indicated in many popular books on the subject.

However, when dealing with individuals in graduate schools, those conducting research, or those in the business field, it has been quite helpful to start with this simple triangle and then work into deeper issues of, for example, “am I *good enough* (whichever level you want to take that on) to succeed.” At other times we have found that intentional distractions, and even unintentional distractions, are really alternative ways of engaging the topic at hand.

Let me give an example. More »

[Posted in General Interest & Resources]


May

10

Two New Hypnosis Sessions by Dr. Hastings!!

May 10, 2007 | posted by Ryan | 3 Comments

Hi All.
We now have two new hypnosis sessions for sale in our MA4CS “Stuff” website store. Dr. Arthur Hastings has been a clinical hypnotherapist for over 20 years. He is also a core faculty at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (and has acted in many capacities for the small graduate psychology school, including past president). When I had knee surgery, this is the guy I went to for a pre-surgery hypnosis session! So, check out the new hypnosis session in the store, and enjoy!

[Posted in General Interest & Resources & Site Updates]


May

4

Overcoming Writing Blocks

May 4, 2007 | posted by Ryan | Leave a Comment

Have you ever had a time when writing just didn’t feel right, or that the mere act of sitting down to write was enough to bring back memories of chores long since forgotten? Maybe you are a cleaner, needing to clean before sinking into your writing project. Maybe you are a solitary writer, or on the flip side, need the extra stimulation of a coffee shop? Well, fortunately there has been A LOT written about writers block (almost an oxymoron isn’t it!).

In my experience writing my dissertation (a large research project I had to complete in order to graduate with my Ph.D.), there were times that I absolutely fought against the urge to write. I knew that I wanted to write, even that I had to write, but that didn’t help me write. I would either find other things to do, sit and stare at my screen, or write something small then edit it for several hours. These behaviors were entirely unproductive, and did not help me to get to the goal of having a completed piece of work.

During our consulting we have found several ways to overcome writers block. One of my favorites is More »

[Posted in General Interest & Research & Resources]


Apr

9

Research as Spiritual Practice

April 9, 2007 | posted by Ryan | Leave a Comment

Can research in itself be a spiritual practice? Considering the connection between much philosophy and religion - the search for truth - and epistomology - the study of how we know - maybe it is possible to see research as a spiritual practice. Dr. Peter Reason discusses this topic in an online “article” which he prepared for a conference at the University of Surrey in 2000. This discussion piece, titled Action Research as Spiritual Practice compares the process of action research with Rev. Matthew Fox’s Four Paths of Creation Spirituality: Via Positiva, Via Negativa, Via Creativa, & Via Transformativa. This piece is thought provoking, gripping, and potentially transformative itself for the way we all do research. I highly recommend this articles, along with much of Dr. Reason’s work.

For the article, just click the link above. For a direct link to Peter Reason’s personal website, including many of the articles he has written click here.

[Posted in Research & Resources]


Mar

30

Forum: Qualitative Social Research

March 30, 2007 | posted by Ryan | Leave a Comment

http://www.qualitative-research.net/fqs/fqs-eng.htm

Just found this resource - a free, multilingual open-access journal on qualitative research. If you are looking for qualitative research articles, discussions, and debates from different countries, here is the place. Check it out.

[Posted in Research & Resources]


Mar

30

General Inductive Approach to Qual Data Analysis

March 30, 2007 | posted by Ryan | Leave a Comment

In this article David Thomas, University of Aukland, New Zeland, writes of the general type of qualitative data analysis found in many research articles. According to Thomas, some researchers do not feel the need to immerse themselves within a particular tradition with specific jargon. I believe the value in this article comes in its basic approach to describing qualitative analysis. This would be a great article for those just learning the practical coding associated with qualitative analysis. If you want a digital copy of the article, it can be found here (from Online QDA): http://www.health.auckland.ac.nz/hrmas/resources/Inductive2003.pdf

[Posted in Research]


Mar

28

Great Resource for Qualitative Analysis

March 28, 2007 | posted by Ryan | Leave a Comment

Here is a great resource for researchers focusing on qualitative research methods. The site, Online QDA, is a UK based site created with grant funding by a group of researchers. It is a wonderful site that can be used by beginning researchers to learn how to prep and code data, or it can be used as a reference for advanced researchers who wish to look up particular research methods, working with qualitative research software, etc. To learn more, visit the site Online QDA.

Oh, and it’s FREE!

[Posted in Research & Resources]


Mar

6

Invited to train faculty/students to use research software

March 6, 2007 | posted by Ryan | Leave a Comment

You may be following our interactions with MAXqda2. If so, here is a quick update. The proposal I was asked to create for the grad school I work for (ITP) was accepted and the school has now purchased MAXqda2 for their lab computers. The program has been installed on all PC computers and we are just waiting for Parallels and Virtual PC so that we may install MAX on the Apple computers as well. Our students are excited to be moving forward with their research projects with this new software, and I have been invited to train faculty and researchers how to use the software. I look forward to helping out with this project, and I am finding that MAX is quite easy to work with. And now they are coming out with a new 2007 version - hopefully with even more perks. If you are interested, check out their website for more details.

Cheers.
~Ryan

[Posted in Research]


Feb

13

Diversity in Research

February 13, 2007 | posted by Ryan | Leave a Comment

Now, a bit of a different pace……..

As some of you know, I have been teaching a Diversity Research Group at a local graduate school, helping train Ph.D. students how to conduct research. Within this class we are focusing on the topic of Diversity in Academia. Some of the key questions we are contemplating are: How does an institution of higher education promote diversity within student, faculty, and administration? How do faculty incorporate diversity into graduate training in psychology? In an institution that both differentiates itself from the normal US cultural standard and incorporates US cultural standards of education, how does one define diversity - i.e., diversity in which context? And how does an academic institution incorporate diversity into its topic area (in our case, psychology, and more specifically, transpersonal psychology)?

More »

[Posted in Research]


Feb

13

And how might our research change if…..?

February 13, 2007 | posted by Ryan | Leave a Comment

And how might our research change if this technology were readily available? If we could sort data easily with our fingers, group it onscreen (especially images - having conducted Artistic Inquiry I find this particularly intriguing). It may be similar to textual QDAS, but this goes even further! Check it out and see what you think the possibilities might be….

[Posted in Research & Technology]


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  • Blogs/Podcasts We Like

    • ITP Library Research Weblog - various research resources
    • Shrink Rap Radio - Podcasts by experienced therapist talking with notible folks in the field about everything you could think of.
    • The Merlin Show - A video podcast featuring Merlin Mann. Topics include: technology, communication, productivity, etc.


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