- Title
- "Pixies, monkeys and living in-the-moment”: Toward a new conception of ADHD
- Creator
- Redshaw, Rosalind
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2019
- Description
- Masters Coursework - Master of Clinical Psychology (MClinPsych)
- Description
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been described as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development. This qualitative study was interested in two questions: 1) What is it like to be ADHD in a neurotypical world, including potential advantages? and 2) Can participants’ subjective interpretations of the way they operate in the world offer new insights into the mechanisms underlying ADHD? Five females and four males aged 29 to 54 years (mean age 39) participated in the study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and was transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. One superordinate theme: Unique ways of operating in ADHD; overarched three subordinate themes: (i) Otherness, medication and social expectations; (ii) Pixies, monkeys and living in the moment; and (iii) Blest not broken. The themes highlight the personal, changing impact of ADHD across childhood and into adulthood, and specific characteristics and behaviours that participants attribute to an ADHD mental architecture. A unanimous tendency to live ‘in-the-moment’ was found across participants. The potential relationship between operating on a single-dimension timescale and classic symptoms of ADHD is discussed. Our findings offer a new perspective from which to understand both the difficulties and strengths of ADHD and have implications for quantitative research and theory-building related to the cross-temporal organisation of behaviour in individuals with ADHD. The benefits of developing a more balanced view of ADHD traits in terms of clinical practice is also discussed.
- Subject
- ADHD; qualitative study; living in-the-moment; advantages of ADHD; timing deficits
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1403070
- Identifier
- uon:35096
- Rights
- Copyright 2019 Rosalind Redshaw
- Language
- eng
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
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| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 3 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 135 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |