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Introduction
Chapter One
An introduction to the study
In this chapter, I will introduce this study and its importance to me. I will then give an
account of the gaps in knowledge that I am exploring, and an overview of how I will
perform that exploration in the rest of the thesis.
In the subsequent chapters of Part One of the Thesis, I will first give an account, in
Chapter Two Part One – Literature Review, of what has been contributed in this area by
others, and in Chapter Two Part Two – Methodology, of the conceptual framing of the
study. Next, there is an account of the methods employed in the study in Chapter Three,
‘Research methods and their use’. I then go on in the six Chapters of Part Two to
explore my data. Finally, my conclusions are formed and expressed in the three chapters
of Part Three.
Why is this study important to me?
I’ll 1 start by briefly introducing myself. I’m a psychologist. Whilst I mostly practice
psychotherapy, I also supervise and train psychotherapists and psychologists, and act as
a consultant to individuals, groups and organisations. I’m male, white, in my late fifties,
and I’ve been doing this sort of work for over thirty years. I want to explore an aspect of
my practice, with twin aims, both for what I can find, but also in order to learn how to
do this exploration of practice.
1 As signalled in the Preface, I’m writing as I would speak here, in order to be as authentic as possible.