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22 = USING INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
psychology because according to IPA the lifeworld is more than just a lin¬
guistic interaction between individuals in a particular time and place. Due
to IPA concerns with how discursive constructions are implicated in the
experience of the individual it also has an active link with the Foucauldian
discourse analysis (Eatough & Smith, 2008). The authors present an example,
the metaphor of “container” of emotions, which is inside the person and in
which emotions are considered to be “held” (Eatough & Smith, 2008, p. 185).
When a participant describes that his/her anger “spills out” from this “con¬
tainer” it means his/her emotions are beyond his/her control. In this case,
IPA examines (from a Foucauldian discourse analysis perspective) how the
construction of the “container” has been constructed, and what it is like to
the individual (Eatough & Smith, 2008).
Since, IPA examines how reality appears to the individual and prioritizes
examining narratives (as tools for interpretation) it seems to have a natural
connection to the various forms of narrative analysis. According to Bruner
(1991; 1990), narrative analysis aims to uncover how narratives operate as
instruments of mind in the construction of reality. Bruner’s narrative analysis
highlights what IPAs primary concern is. For example, telling and re-telling
a particular experience (constructing a narrative) during therapy or counsel¬
ing session could make the experience more liveable (Eatough & Smith, 2008;
Racz, Kassai, & Pintér, 2016).
Many further qualitative approaches could be included here (ethnography,
action research, Q-method, Grounded Theory), hereby Grounded Theory
(GT) should be highlighted among them because this is one of the best-known
methods in the Hungarian qualitative research field. According to Corbin
and Strauss (2015), the approach of GT examines experiences in the context
in which these are embedded, and GT follows how particular events influ¬
ences the process of emotions and interactions. During GT study the aim is
to produce concepts and theory, during IPA study the aim is to stay at the
level of individuals/experiences, rather than abstracting and generalizing data.
1.2.3. Research areas where IPA is (often) used
There is now a considerable body of research employing IPA. Research uti¬
lizing IPA appears in many different types of outlet: peer-reviewed journal
articles, book chapters, postgraduate theses (Smith, 2011). Health psychology
is the field of psychology where IPA was established; now there is a substantial
amount of studies that examine patient’s personal experience of a particular
condition and treatment. There are also many studies exploring the experience
of being a helper and health professional (e.g., Hunt & Smith, 2004). Accord¬
ing to the review of Smith (2011) nearly the quarter of IPA studies (which