Dealing with Wicked Problems: Conducting a Causal Layered Analysis of Complex Social Psychological Issues

Abstract

Causal layered analysis (CLA) is an emerging qualitative methodology adopted in the discipline of planning as an approach to deconstruct complex social issues. With psychologists increasingly confronted with complex, and "wicked" social and community issues, we argue that the discipline of psychology would benefit from adopting CLA as an analytical method. Until now, the application of CLA for data interpretation has generally been poorly defined and overwhelming for the novice. In this paper we propose an approach to CLA that provides a method for the deconstruction and analysis of complex social psychological issues. We introduce CLA as a qualitative methodology well suited for psychology, introduce the epistemological foundations of CLA, define a space for it adoption within the discipline, and, outline the steps for conducting a CLA using an applied example.

Fumblings and faux pas: Reflections on attempting to engage in participatory research with people with an intellectual disability

“…Reflexive journaling can help the researcher become attuned to their own positioning, values, and worldviews (Bishop & Dzidic, 2014). Similarly, peer debriefing or supervision can 25 enable working hypotheses to be tested and meanings to be explored.…”

Complex adaptive HIV/AIDS risk reduction: Plausible implications from findings in Limpopo Province, South Africa

“…The findings that are presented were identified using an adapted version of a qualitative research technique called causal layered analysis [7] 12 months after the educational package was introduced. [8] …”

“…However, it is possible to identify attractors using qualitative research techniques which open a window of analytic opportunity. [7] From the implementation perspective, because complex adaptive systems are unstable and adaptable, it is possible to disrupt them further, catalysing downstream ripple effects as new attractors emerge, and/or existing attractors are modified, as the agents adaptively reorganise around the disruption. During, or after, the submerged reorganisation processes, the shifts in the overall attractor landscape can be monitored and the visible social, or behavioural, emergence associated with each shift in the attractor landscape can be evaluated.…”

Knowledge as enablement: additional perspectives influenced by complexity

“…The narratives were translated and back translated twice before being coded using the computer software, NVivo 10. The coding was done using a qualitative technique called causal layered analysis (CLA) that includes both a grounded theory and a thematic content analysis (Bishop & Dzidic, 2014). After the coding was completed by the university team, the findings were presented to the participants at a participatory workshop to ensure trustworthiness.…”