Theme Investigation
Theme investigation or thematic analysis deals with the central question in complex projects: what is it all about? Formulating what are taken to be the most important experiential human and social issues, is basically asking ‘what is the problem field about?’ in the broadest possible sense. This opens up a field of values, meanings, insights, associations, analogies and metaphors that can be keys to unlocking meaningful new perspectives on the problem field.
Thus, thematic analysis can be seen as the conceptual soul of frame creation. The goal is to understand, and not yet to reframe or design something new. It is fun and rewarding to do, as well. Wonder and curiosity combine into a search that never fails to deliver. There is usually a strong sense of depth and insight into the social and psychological forces that need to be dealt with. So, what is it exactly and how is it done?
De-framing: naming themes from context and field
When we’re trying to understand the problem field, there is never just a single issue that everything revolves around. It is crucial at this point to move away from existing ideas and directions, into a conceptual space that is not about the specific problem, but also not (yet) about solutions. The process of identifying frames from a certain problem context or situation can be called ‘deframing’. When reflecting on the problem field and preferably also a number of issues surrounding it, you start asking ‘what is all this about?’, and you answer the question with a list of human themes that identify different concepts that contribute to human meaning: values, emotions, convictions, ideas, preconceptions, etc.
This list of themes is a field of meanings, a deeper layer of the concrete issues that are at play. It has its origins in the problem field, but once it has been identified, it can be researched ‘as such’—without any references to its original problem field, in an attempt to understand them more deeply and broadly at the same time. If ‘insecurity’ is a theme, how can you understand that concept more deeply (what is it, how does it work?), and more broadly as you look to other situations or contexts where it is important (are there examples from other life situations where people deal with insecurity?).
Reframing
Thus, when ‘deframing’, we shift our attention away from the actual situation to a set of themes. Thematic analysis analyses these themes ‘(‘fear’, ‘loneliness’, ‘insecurity’, ‘joy’, etc.) ‘as such’, with no preconceptions about future conceptual directions. When we want to understand these themes more deeply, we need to investigate, empathise, and analyse. We’ve all felt insecure at times, we know people who have struggled with it, science has researched it, artists have addressed it, etc. Thematic analysis aims to deepen the understanding of a theme, through reflecting at it from different perspectives.
After thematic analysis, this deeper and broader understanding, will subsequently allow us to identify new perspectives on the original situation. We are then ‘reframing’ the situation in search for new and meaningful possible directions. Example: If a potent source of ‘insecurity’ is ‘low self esteem’, then a new way of looking at the issues (a new ‘frame’) can involve ‘methods for improving self esteem’.
So: problem field —deframing—> list of themes that are researched —reframing—> frames.
What is a theme?
A theme is a dynamic psychological or social construct (with internal structure and dynamics), that can play a crucial role in motivating people to act in a situation. It exists in the domain of lived experience. This is crucial: a theme refers to something that can be experienced as such in life: fear and joy are human themes, but ‘social cohesion’ is not. No one ever feels ‘socially cohesive’. Social cohesion needs to be broken down into different experience themes in order to be meaningful: people may care about each other, they may want to feel at home in their neighbourhood, they may enjoy feeling accepted by others, etc. Those are experience themes that relate to the more abstract notion of ‘social cohesion’.
Themes can also be used to understand personal experience when looking for the dynamics of meaning in a certain problem field. Meaning is never static; the desire and the attempt to make sense of life are dynamic processes that constantly change and unfold. Examples: fear, loneliness, feeling appreciated, ambition. Often, groups of themes have interesting interrelationships (example: fear, risk taking, forgiveness and courage have many relationships).
Themes are conceptual constructs with different psychological and social aspects that can be closely connected. The architecture of a theme can be done at a generic level: What other concepts is it related to (e.g. relationship between ‘fear’ and ‘stress’). But it is also useful to situate it in a different contexts: how does it play out in a specific context that is different from the original context?
Theme Analysis
Below, we will discuss two aspect of theme analysis: 1. what to look for (structure and dynamics), and 2. how to actually investigate (sources of information, knowledge and insight).
What to investigate?
Themes can be analysed in terms of their internal structure and in terms of their temporal dynamics. Structure refers to a network of meanings, concepts and other themes around a theme (e.g. ‘fear’ is the opposite of ‘hope’, it is related to ‘a perceived threat’, or to ‘anxiety’). Temporal dynamics refers to the way a theme develops over time (e.g., what causes someone to BECOME afraid, what’s it like in that moment to BE afraid, what are the possible reactions to fear, how does one stop being afraid, what can possibly happen afterwards?
A. Structural aspects of themes
Themes are multifaceted. They can be spiritual, physical, social, etc. And all that at the same time. Below is a checklist of different possible aspects of themes that can be investigated. The list does not pretend to be exhaustive, but it has served us well in many different situations.
Consider the following aspects of a person’s psychology and pay attention to how they are/may be related in terms of structural relationships: what influences what? Don’t force anything, try to stick to obviously relevant factors.
Spiritual
Does a theme relate to a person’s essence or to deeply felt beliefs or values? Example: a problem like unemployment is not just a social or financial issue, but can have deep effects on someone’s sense of self or their purpose in life.
Emotional
What emotions are involved? How? Emotions are powerful components of themes. They drive people’s actions, and are often interrelated in complex ways. Example: If we want to deal with anger or violence, it is worth understanding possible relationships between emotions like fear, desire, frustration, and resentment, since violence is often the end result of complex chains or emotional patterns that need addressing at earlier stages unfolding patterns: prevention in early stages is usually more effective that repression in later stages.
Cognitive
Look at mental models, knowledge, learning processes, thinking, etc. Our beliefs, our knowledge and our memories determine how we interpret the world, and people have different capacities for and styles of learning. Our ideas about the world strongly influence the way we perceive and experience it. It is important to understand the role of knowledge and mental models in a theme, and to consider where and how learning can make a difference. Example: Self-confidence, a positive outlook on the world, or knowledge in a certain domain can help a person to feel empowered to go out and act rather than sit down and complain. Anticipation can be an effective strategy to prepare for an experience, Knowing that anger is a natural part of a mourning process can help once it occurs. Many things can be consciously learnt. The interplay between our thoughts and our emotions is strong and this is something to look out for and work with.
Motivational
What personal goals are or can be involved? What drives people to do the things they do? At what level? Does a person want more money or is money a means to an end like more freedom? Is money a source of social status? An event may trigger an emotion which may trigger a set of actions, but there may be deeper reasons that go beyond superficial emotions. Example: frustration may cause a person to become angry, but at a deeper level there may be insecurity about one’s ability to deal with certain challenges. Building confidence may then be more useful than finding ways to deal with frustration.
Physical
Does the theme have physical/biological aspects? Does the human body play a role? A theme like ‘fear’ may have obvious physical features such as increased heart rate or sweating, but themes like ‘insecurity’ or ‘vulnerability’ may relate to a person’s self image of their body. Psychologists often use the concept of ‘arousal’ as a container for a general sense of excitement, positive or negative. Hormones and neurotransmitters play an important role here: adrenalin, dopamine, serotonin, etc. Once the body starts producing a certain hormone, its effect will linger for some time.
Social
How can social relationships affect the theme? This is a very important part of theme analysis: other people and what they mean to us. Not only are we social creatures, but a deeper insight into social structures can be a very fruitful starting point for interventions in later stages of design. Friends can provide help. Strangers can make people insecure. Peer pressure is always a force to be reckoned with. Recommendations from others can make us trust someone. The list is long, and this perspective is always worth investigating.
Contextual
What external factors can have an effect on personal experience? Physical space? Specific events or circumstances? Time constraints? A feeling like ‘anxiety’ may only occur in specific situations where much is expected from a person, whereas in other situations, the feeling may be absent even though the challenges are the same. The privacy of a home creates a completely different psychological space than the streets of a city or the board room of a company. Like social relationships, contexts can be redesigned and changed, so be alert!
B. Dynamics
Causality and Intensity
How can the personal experience of a theme change over time and through which causal relationships is this possible or plausible? How does intensity influence personal experience regarding the theme? A little bit of something may be irrelevant, but above a certain threshold, things can go crazy. Are there discontinuities or is everything smooth and gradual?
Make a list of factors that have a negative or positive influence on a concept. Draw a rough flowchart-style diagram of how different factors relate to the theme in terms of modulating causal relationships. It should show crucial structure and dynamics in a simple way. Don’t make it too complicated. The goal is group inspiration, not universal truth.
How does the theme develop: what happens before, during, or after the experience of the theme? What are factors that make it develop or change?
How to investigate
Themes can be researched in different ways. Below is a list of methods that can be used. This list is not exhaustive. Any source that makes you feel you understand a theme better is a good source.
In practice, the process of theme investigation is inherently constrained by time and teams. Any theme is worth years and years of study, but in reality you will only have weeks, days, or hours. The good news is that even a single hour or afternoon will produce results you feel you can work with. Also, when doing this with a team, you can divide tasks: one persoon looks at science, one person will interview people, etc. And you discuss the outcomes together. Again, even a one hour discussion with your team will yield results and deeper understanding.
It is important to realise that theme investigation is not a quest for truth, but for inspiration. We want to deepen our understanding and our empathy in order to create something new. Once we do that, we can test it to know if it makes sense.
Scientific literature: empirical
This is not always easy, since scientific literature tends to be very specialised. Searching databases for ‘ambition’ will give thousands of results, and more specific search queries may be less useful for a more general understanding of a theme. But when a search is successful, it can be conceptually insightful, with roots in empirical research.
Philosophy: conceptual
Philosophy can be a great starting point for some themes. Some philosophers literally devote most of their thinking to specific themes. Examples: alienation (Marx), otherness (check out http://discourseontheotter.tumblr.com), responsibility (Levinas), etc.
Art (music, visual art, literature, film, etcetera): evocative
The arts are interesting because good artworks can give universal insight while being very concrete at the same time. Art is evocative, it makes you feel something, which can be a powerful addition thematic analysis. Example: The film ‘The Dead’ by John Huston is a mind-blowing excursion into the experience of ‘loss’.
Field work: contextual variation
Examine the theme in a real life context. This can be the context of investigation, but not necessarily. Other contexts may provide new kinds of insights or inspiration. In each case, the goal is to examine the theme as such, without paying attention to the original problem. Observe and talk to people!
Personal experience: personal
Consult your own experience or interview people about theirs. Have you ever experienced ‘trust’? What triggered it? What did it feel like? What were you thinking and feeling? What changed it? What did you do? How did the situation develop? Did other people play a role?
D. Tips and Tricks
When there is little time for researching a theme, some of the approaches above are too time consuming. What generally works well in a group of people with one or two hours of time is to focus on personal experiences and focus on key concepts and relationships between them. Also, if there is online connectivity, try searching for quotes about the theme. For some reason, google queries that also include the word ‘art’ yield very interesting results in very little time. Example: ‘ambition art quotes’.
Useful sites are:
http://quote.robertgenn.com/ (for art-related quotes about themes)
http://www.emotionalcompetency.com (has great flowcharts for themes like ‘fear’)
http://www.synoniemen.net, http://thesaurus.com/ (thesauri are always interesting starting points, since they always show collections of related concepts; the first (Dutch) site actually shows graphic clouds of related concepts).
Enjoy!
For more information:
Dick Rijken (dick@37c.nl)
