AN EXPLORATION OF THE EXPERIENCE OF CODEPENDENCY THROUGH INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Ingrid G. F. I. Bacon College of Health and Life Sciences Brunel University August 2014 1 Abstract Codependency is a highly contested construct featuring in the popular, clinical and research literature. Within the academic literature, the voices and lived experience of individuals who consider themselves codependents are mostly unavailable. This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study explored the lived experiences of 8 individuals self- identified as codependents, who chose 12-Step recovery groups to frame their recovery process. This research addressed the following research question: What is the lived experience of codependency among people who have sought support from a 12-step recovery group for codependents? The idiographic, phenomenological and hermeneutic aspects of the study captured how participants made sense of their experiences of codependency and the meanings of the support group. The information was collected over 3-6 months by means of three in-depth semi-structured interviews and a visual method in which participants selected and analysed objects or photographs which, for them, expressed the meaning of codependency. Four main themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews: (1) Codependency experienced as real and tangible: ‘Codependency explains everything’. (2) Experiencing an undefined sense of self: ‘Codependency helps me to discover my sense of self.’ (3) Seesawing through extremes in life: ‘Like a seesaw, I feel out of control’. (4) Finding meaning in codependency through exploring family experiences: ‘Down to childhood’. The findings revealed that the experience of codependency frames these individuals’ sense of identity, their lifeworlds and the way they view and experience life difficulties. It also provided a highly nuanced and fine-grained analysis of the lived experience of codependency. The study brings a new perspective on the lived experiences of this client group. Although the findings are not straightforwardly generalizable, they may inform clinical practice. It is hoped that this study will raise awareness about this controversial topic, bring a better understanding of codependency and inspire further research. 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ 6 Chapter 1- Introduction to the research study ........................................................................................ 7 1.1 Codependency. A contested construct. ......................................................................................... 7 1.2. The historical development of codependency ........................................................................... 11 1.4 My interest in codependency as a research topic ....................................................................... 25 1.5 The PhD research study .............................................................................................................. 27 1.6 An Overview of the PhD thesis .................................................................................................. 27 Chapter 2- Literature review ................................................................................................................ 29 2.1 Introduction to the literature review ........................................................................................... 29 2.1.1 The literature review procedure........................................................................................... 29 2.1.2 Choosing the most suitable type of review for the study. .................................................... 31 2.1.3 The literature search ............................................................................................................ 32 2.2. How is codependency assessed? ............................................................................................... 34 2.3. What are the precursors of codependency? ............................................................................... 36 2.4 What are the psychological factors or experiences associated with codependency? .................. 50 2.4.1 The relationship between codependency and various psychological problems ................... 55 2.4.2 The relationship between codependency and personality problems .................................... 61 2. 5. The prevalence of codependency as a perceived psychological problem among adults .......... 66 2.6. Treatment and recovery perspectives in codependency ............................................................ 67 2.6.1 The 12-step recovery group for codependency: qualitative explorations. ........................... 68 2.7 A phenomenological exploration in the field of codependency ................................................. 74 2.8. Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 77 2.9 Rationale which informs the research question. ......................................................................... 80 Chapter 3- Research Methodology and Method ................................................................................... 82 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 82 3.2 Methodology - The theoretical underpinning of the research study ........................................... 82 3.2.1 The positivist and the constructivist debate in codependency ............................................. 84 3.2.2 The selection of a phenomenological approach (IPA) for this project. ............................... 86 3.3 Research Method ........................................................................................................................ 99 3.3.1 The research participants ..................................................................................................... 99 3.3.2. Research Design ............................................................................................................... 103 3.3.3 Research Quality and Ethics .............................................................................................. 122 3. 4 Conclusion............................................................................................................................... 126 Chapter 4- Findings: Overview of themes and exploration of the experience of co-dependence as real and tangible. ....................................................................................................................................... 127 4.1 Introduction: Overview of themes ............................................................................................ 127 4.2 Theme 1. Codependency experienced as real and tangible: ‘It explains everything! ............... 132 4.2.1 Codependency perceived as a form of addictive disorder ................................................. 134 4.2.2 Codependency experienced as a pathway for understanding problems ............................. 136 4.3 Conclusion of the chapter ......................................................................................................... 146 3 Chapter 5 - Theme 2 - Experiencing an undefined sense of self: ‘Codependency helps me to discover my sense of self’................................................................................................................................. 147 5.1. Subtheme A. The undefined self: Experiencing difficulties with sense of self ....................... 151 A (1) A fragile and fragmented sense of self.............................................................................. 151 A (2). Experiencing a negative sense of self. ............................................................................ 156 5.2 Subtheme B. The chameleon self, who blends in ..................................................................... 159 5.3 Subtheme C. The searching self, who looks for answers ......................................................... 171 C (1) Searching for answers in the recovery group .................................................................... 177 5.4 Subtheme D. The transforming self: experiencing self-definition ........................................... 185 5.5 Conclusion of the theme ........................................................................................................... 189 Chapter 6- Theme 3 - Seesawing through extremes in life: ‘Like a seesaw…I feel very out of control’ ............................................................................................................................................................ 190 6.1 Subtheme A. Experiencing imbalance and intensity of activities ............................................ 193 6.2 Subtheme B. Experiencing imbalance and intensity of feelings .............................................. 199 6.3 Conclusion of the theme ........................................................................................................... 203 Chapter 7- Theme 4- Finding meaning in codependency through exploring family experiences: ‘Down to childhood’ .......................................................................................................................... 204 7.1 Subtheme -