The next axial stage of the coding process involved more rigorous specifying of the themes in such a way that categories could be constructed. In the first instance the following six categories were constructed.
1 The application of traditional power _____________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
3 Searching for a cause and effect 159 13 Structural analysis (ie situations and events are explored with 53
respect to social systems and structures) of situations and events. 23 Power as sovereign (top down and hierarchal). Traditional power. 44 5 Either/or thinking – construction of thinking within binaries. 102
2 The constructed self __________________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
4 Comfort with a decentred self, multiplicity and contradiction. 4 17 Valorising and recognising difference. 17 21 Identification of self as constructed. 6
3 Resisting subjugation _________________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
14 Acting/doing with others – friendship and community. 55 22 Acts of parrhesia (eruptive truth speech. 24
25 Subjugated voices. 19
27 Openness to new ideas and new ways of thinking. 7 18 Struggle, perseverance, stamina. 61 12 Resisting hegemonic ideas and practices. 107
4 Surveillance of the self – the panoptic gaze ______________________________
Theme no. Frequency
8 Measuring, valuing, judging actions according to some standard 420 (which may or may not be clear).
11 Conforming to hegemonic ideas and practices. 104 24 Power as dispersed (produced in context). NB changed this 42
as reading to Modern power – power as government.
16 Describing self according to others’ points of view. 42 26 Competition, achievement, pursuit of success. 11
5 Hermeneutic searching ________________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
10 A quest for depth, searching for something hidden and deep 45 inside the self.
20 Identification of self as real – something that can be known. 36
6 Searching for one truth. 75
2 Reflecting on the world. 133
19 Time as linear. 8
6 Purging the soul – seeking truth through redemption ______________________
Theme no. Frequency
7 Secrecy and hiding. Confessing something no one else knows. 284 15 Acting/doing alone – in isolation. 32 9 Violence, humiliation and hate. 72
These categories were again reported to the research group for comment. What initially struck the group was that even though the categories captured interesting meaning- making, there was an absence of the richness of the data that had been discussed when reflecting on the 27 themes. In inquiring into the process that had been undertaken to construct these six categories, it was apparent that the categories had been constructed by grouping themes in such a way that they were not repeated between categories. That is, the 27 themes were distributed across the six categories without being repeated. Therefore the ability to generate meaning-making was curtailed and did not adequately reflect the
richness of the data. This led to a more liberal attitude to the grouping or clustering of the themes and the following 13 categories were constructed.
1 Poststructural sensibility – unease, uncertainty, non-stability,
non-coherence, confusion _____________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
2 Reflecting on the world. 133
12 Resisting hegemonic ideas and practices. 107 13 Structural analysis (i.e. Situations and events are explored with 53
respect to social systems and structures) of situations and events. 17 Valorising and or recognising difference. 17 18 Struggle, perseverance, stamina. 61 21 Identification of self as constructed. 6 22 Acts of parrhesia (eruptive truth speech). 24
25 Subjugated voices. 19
27 Openness to new ideas and ways of thinking. 7
2 The self against the world _____________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
1 Acting on the world. 157
2 Reflecting on the world. 133
3 Searching for cause and effect. 159
6 Searching for the truth. 75
7 Secrecy and hiding. Confessing something no one else knows. 284 8 Measuring, valuing, judging actions according to some standard 420
(which may or may not be known).
11 Conforming to hegemonic ideas and practices. 104 12 Resisting hegemonic ideas and practices. 107 13 Structural analysis (i.e. Situations and events are explored with 53
respect to social systems and structures) of situations and events. 26 Competition, achievement, pursuit of success. 11 18 Struggle, perseverance, stamina. 61
3 The social self _____________________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
2 Reflecting on the world. 133
3 Searching for cause and effect. 159 11 Conforming to hegemonic ideas and practices. 104 12 Resisting hegemonic ideas and practices. 107 13 Structural analysis (i.e. Situations and events are explored with 53
respect to social systems and structures) of situations and events. 14 Acting/doing with others – friendship and community. 55 17 Valorising and or recognising difference. 17 21 Identification of self as constructed. 6 23 Power as sovereign (top down and hierarchal). Traditional power. 44 24 Power as dispersed (produced in context). Modern power – power 42
as government.
4 The pathologised/individualised self __________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
6 Searching for the truth. 75
7 Secrecy and hiding. Confessing something no one else knows. 284 8 Measuring, valuing, judging actions according to some standard 420
(which may or may not be known).
9 Violence, humiliation and hate. 72 10 A quest for depth, searching for something hidden and deep 45
inside the self.
15 Acting/doing alone – in isolation. 32 16 Describing self according to others’ points of view. 42 20 Identification of self as real – something that can be known. 36
5 Being proactive/making a difference __________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
1 Acting on the world. 157
12 Resisting hegemonic ideas and practices. 107 14 Acting/doing with others – friendship and community. 55 22 Acts of parrhesia (eruptive truth speech). 24 27 Openness to new ideas and ways of thinking. 7
6 Compliance ________________________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
8 Measuring, valuing, judging actions according to some standard
(which may or may not be known). 420 11 Conforming to hegemonic ideas and practices. 104 16 Describing self according to others’ points of view. 42 24 Power as dispersed (produced in context). Modern power – 42
power as government.
7 Romancing the self _________________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
2 Reflecting on the world. 133
3 Searching for cause and effect. 159 5 Either/or thinking – construction of thinking within binaries. 102
6 Searching for the truth. 75
7 Secrecy and hiding. Confessing something no one else knows. 284 10 A quest for depth, searching for something hidden and deep 45
inside the self.
15 Acting/doing alone – in isolation. 32 16 Describing self according to others’ points of view. 42 20 Identification of self as real – something that can be known. 36
8 The application of power _____________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
3 Searching for a cause and effect 159 5 Either/or thinking – construction of thinking within binaries. 102
6 Searching for the truth. 75
11 Conforming to hegemonic ideas and practices. 104 12 Resisting hegemonic ideas and practices. 107 13 Structural analysis (i.e. situations and events are explored with 53
respect to social systems and structures) of situations and events. 23 Power as sovereign (top down and hierarchal). Traditional power. 44 24 Power as dispersed (produced in context). Modern power – power 42
as government.
9 The constructed self ________________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
4 Comfort with a decentred self, multiplicity and contradiction. 4 17 Valorising and recognising difference. 17 21 Identification of self as constructed. 6
10 Resisting subjugation _______________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
14 Acting/doing with others – friendship and community. 55 22 Acts of parrhesia (eruptive truth speech. 24
25 Subjugated voices. 19
27 Openness to new ideas and new ways of thinking. 7 18 Struggle, perseverance, stamina. 61 12 Resisting hegemonic ideas and practices. 107
11 Surveillance of the self – the panoptic gaze ______________________________
Theme no. Frequency
8 Measuring, valuing, judging actions according to some standard 420 (which may or may not be clear).
11 Conforming to hegemonic ideas and practices. 104 24 Power as dispersed (produced in context). NB changed this as 42
reading to Modern power – power as government.
16 Describing self according to others’ points of view. 42 26 Competition, achievement, pursuit of success. 11
12 Hermeneutic searching ______________________________________________
Theme no. Frequency
10 A quest for depth, searching for something hidden and deep 45 inside the self.
20 Identification of self as real – something that can be known. 36
6 Searching for one truth. 75
2 Reflecting on the world. 133
19 Time as linear. 8
13 Purging the soul – seeking truth through redemption ______________________
Theme no. Frequency
7 Secrecy and hiding. Confessing something no one else knows. 284 15 Acting/doing alone – in isolation. 32 9 Violence, humiliation and hate. 72
The original six categories were incorporated, although the category, ‘The application of traditional power’, was changed to, ‘The application of power’, to reflect both traditional and modern forms of theorising about power in relation to the work of Foucault (1980a, 1984, 1995, 2002c).
The 13 new categories reflected more adequately the different selves that were competing within relations of power, and the tension between constraint and transformation. These were significant in terms of the research’s aim to explore and theorise poststructural
agency. The expansion of categories also led to a more sonorous space for the ensuing stage involving the construction of discourses. Not only did these categories maximise the opportunity for making sense of the discourses in operation within the text, but it was hoped that these additional categories would assist the discourses capture the network of power relations which would form a central part of further analysis. This process of constructing categories aimed at ensuring all the themes had been fully elaborated and delineated.