Supporting recovery from disasters is practicing for the "future," in terms of aiming to recover from the damage. On the other hand, it is a practice for the "present" in some cases, because for example, some people emphasize the necessity of just staying near the survivor. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of attitude of outside supporters over time in disaster recovery. I interviewed a survivor who lived in Karakuwa peninsula, Kesen-numa city, Miyagi prefecture, by using the "Revitalization Curve" interview method. The results showed the importance of practice for the "present" for survivors who have lost irreplaceable things. These results are discussed by using concepts from childcare when practicing the "mezasu" approach and the "sugosu" approach.

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This study aimed to describe how teachers can maintain communication with students in a correspondence course high school. We did participant observation in the school for about one year and focused on the teacher’s lounge which is called the SHOKUINSHITSU, because teachers frequently got on with students there. First, using the KJ method, we created seven categories by analyzing 67 cases of student guidance that took place in the SHOKUINSHITSU. The teachers did not provide student guidance in the classroom, but in the SHOKUINSHITSU. Next, using the data related to the SHOKUINSHITSU, we analyzed the advantages and the backgrounds of interchange between teachers and students there. The results showed that due to the school’s local characteristics, there were difficulties with the educational system. Therefore, the teachers had to simultaneously and collaboratively support the students. In this context, the teachers designed the SHOKUINSHITSU as a place where students could stop by, making it possible for the students to commit themselves to the school. Finally, we discussed student guidance in a new type of secondary upper school.

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The devastating and lingering impact of the accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant has made the process of disaster recovery from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake even more complicated and difficult. Because even experts sometimes provide totally different views on the safety of radioactive contamination, the boundary between scientific truth and misconception has been blurred considerably. This makes fuhyo higai, or damages caused by harmful rumors and misinformation, a serious problem. In this study, we first made an overview of diverse types of fuhyo higai. Secondly, we conducted field research at Oarai Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, one of the disasteraffected areas. Our results showed that in Oarai, a visible but relatively minor "Rashomon" problem, defined as the coexistence of contradictory interpretations of the same events, covers up a different Rashomon problem that is invisible but more serious. To overcome this, an "opportunity creation" approach that shows Oarai’s different and new face, such as town vitalization via animation, will be more effective than an "emergency management" approach, which focuses on only the issue of radioactive contamination.

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This study aimed to clarify the significance of a gathering space for patients with a chronic disease and their relatives by thick descriptions of the space. Study 1 found that participants experienced the space as a venue for "having a conversation that could be shared by patients suffering from the same disease" as well as for "just being themselves, beyond the framework of whether they were ‘patients’ or ‘relatives,’" "providing incentives for independent activities," and a "self-sufficient space." It also revealed the existence of a unique shared culture characterized by "a relaxed atmosphere where anyone can speak out freely and honestly without hesitation," in which "each and every person is the main character," and "there is no fixed structure." Study 2 explored the approaches adopted by the author in the roles of "researcher," "practitioner," and "patient." This study found that this space provided all participants, including the author, with the opportunity to just "be themselves."

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Residential research is problem-solving research that considers the actual circumstances of a local area; moreover, the researcher is not only based in the science community but is also a responsible member of that local community. This paper examines the potential of using residential research as a specific methodology. The author participated in a project to reintroduce the Oriental White Stork (Ciconia boyciana) to the Toyooka area, in Hyogo Prefecture. The author developed a research method through being questioned by various people in the field. The following six points were derived as part of the methodological features of residential research: 1) the research results are evaluated by the society concerned; 2) the researcher moves between multiple positions; 3) there is a recursive nature to being a concerned party; 4) it includes a circulative method; 5) it is sympathetic; and 6) it is an asymptotic approach

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Bruner’s conceptualization of cultural psychology can be found in his 1990s work, Acts of meaning. However, the general consensus about his work in this area has treated it not as a conceptualization but as a series of statements of fact. This paper reconsiders his plan for a cultural psychology based on his “Acts of meaning” (1990), concluding that it rests on the proposition that the human mind precedes its epistemology. Consequently, his cultural psychology begins with observations of the ability of humans to function in the context of the polysemous meanings arising from everyday practices. Thus, his cultural psychology views folk psychology as psychological common sense and privileges narrative as the most useful and longstanding cultural tool in our everyday practices. Therefore, his study of folk psychology as a basis for cultural psychology focuses on the use of narratives in everyday practices. In this paper, I redefine his conception of cultural psychology in terms of a narrative approach.

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“Days Before” narrative is a type of retrospective discussion, either about the days leading up to an unexpected catastrophic event or about actual conversations that people had before the event without knowing that it was approaching. However, due to the strong emotional impact of catastrophic events, people are unlikely to engage in this type of narrative. These narratives are of interest because people often encounter a dominant narrative where discussion of a catastrophic event itself is considered to be an unavoidable prerequisite to talking about and living in its aftermath. The present paper theoretically shows that when combined with “Days After” narratives, where a hypothetical catastrophic event is talked about as if it has already occurred, “Days Before” narratives can potentially improve people’s psychological well-being in three major ways. Firstly, “Days Before” narratives help people realize the completeness of the past and present. Secondly, they effectively lead people to take instrumental, appropriate actions for preventing future catastrophes. Finally, these narratives positively impact people living in the aftermath of a catastrophe by ways such as allowing them to acquire new perspectives of their lives that, unlike flashbacks to the event, are not necessarily negative.

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In Japan, more than 70% of adults with intellectual disability live with their families. Family supports which includes "planning after the death of parents" is needed. This paper describes the process of providing children with intellectual disability residential placements for aging mothers. The sample consisted of 4 mothers, and data obtained from semi-structured interviews were analyzed with the Trajectory Equifinality Model (TEM). The process consists of 3 phases: <1. the phase of emergency<, <2. the phase of conflict<, <3. the stable phase<. After starting utilization of the residential placements, the mothers experienced psychological crises such as guilty, apathy, emptiness. These emotions fade out when mothers found that their children had adapted to the residences. It is also clear that mothers who don’t go to see their children at the placements think negatively about their children life. To support families who want their children to have at-home care, making provisions for emergency, attentive hearing, and support about "after the death of parents" are needed.

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This study aimed to clarify the psychological and qualitative experiences of families during the organ donation process for brain-death relatives and to clarify the events that affect long-term acceptance within families. We interviewed three family members. The results revealed that families first needed to recognize that brain death meant their relative was dead. Then, families began to search for meaning in the event and opted for organ donation as a result. If the prospective donor’s values were clear, the families prioritized those values; if the donor’s values were unclear, the decision was made in accordance with the family’s values. Concordance between the values of the wider family and the donor indicated a greater likelihood that the family would have a positive attitude toward the resulting decision. In contrast, when the values of the donor and the family did not agree, the family became conflicted. The family’s values during the organ donation process affected the post-donation psychology.

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Qualitative approaches in psychology have led to significant advances during the last couple of decades. However, an increasing number of recent studies suggest that qualitative approaches and conventional quantitative approaches should not be viewed simply as mutually exclusive options. Instead, it is important to find an effective mixture of both types of approaches. On this basis, the present study aims at offering deeper insights into study results by performing detailed qualitative analyses of quantitative data obtained by questionnaire survey. We reanalyzed some datasets of questionnaire survey answers, proceeding on the assumption that questionnaire survey administration is not a data collection procedure but rather a process of communication between researchers and respondents. We found that “Don’t Know” and “No Answer” responses or refusal to answer the questionnaire should be, and can be, considered as important data for understanding how respondents look at questionnaire surveys generally. The findings of this study are discussed from the viewpoint of triangulation and mixed-methods research.

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