This paper puts forth a proposal for an investigation into the topic of 'akrasia' (or weakness of will), which is studied here as a form of non-compliance with treatment. This can be defined as a situation in which an individual expresses good intentions to adhere to a practitioner's prescriptions but ultimately does not do so. In the context of socio-constructionist psychology (Gergen, 2022), akrasia is understood as a particular dynamic relating to the multiple and dialogic nature of the self. This implies that some parts of the individual support the good intention, while other parts may oppose it (Romaioli, 2023). The study was conducted with participants who had embarked on a nutritional journey with the objective of improving their lifestyle and, as a consequence, were required to follow the prescriptions of a professional. The aim was to gain insight into how different parts of the self organise themselves and what relational dynamics they develop between them, specifically comparing participants who demonstrated high compliance with those who failed to adhere to the practitioner's prescriptions. The method used is a specially constructed questionnaire to investigate self-positions in line with the Dialogical Self Theory (Hermans, 2001), while data were analysed using SPSS software. The primary findings indicate that individuals exhibiting low compliance (i.e., akratic) tend to espouse a greater number of self-positions that are in opposition to the pursuit of sound judgment. Conversely, those who demonstrate virtuous behavior tend to express more unified self-positions that are aligned with the intention of adhering to the recently established nutritional regimen.
Il presente lavoro propone un’indagine focalizzata sul tema dell’“akrasia” (o debolezza di volontà), qui studiata come forma di mancata compliance al trattamento, ovvero quando un individuo esprime il buon proposito di mantenersi aderente alle prescrizioni di un professionista, ma non lo fa. Nel contesto della psicologia socio costruzionista (Gergen, 2022), l’akrasia è compresa come una particolare dinamica relativa alla natura molteplice e dialogica del Sé, con alcune parti dell’individuo che sostengono il buon proposito, mentre altre parti possono contrastarlo (Romaioli, 2023). Lo studio si è svolto con partecipanti che hanno intrapreso un percorso nutrizionale al fine di migliorare il proprio stile di vita e devono quindi seguire le prescrizioni di un professionista. L’obiettivo è comprendere come si organizzano le diverse parti di Sé e quali dinamiche relazionali sviluppano tra loro, confrontando nello specifico partecipanti ad alta compliance rispetto a coloro che falliscono nel mantenersi aderenti alle prescrizioni del curante. Il metodo utilizzato è un questionario appositamente costruito per indagare le posizioni del Sé in linea con la Teoria del Sé Dialogico (Hermans, 2001), mentre i dati sono stati analizzati con il software SPSS. I principali risultati mostrano come i partecipanti a bassa compliance (cioè akratici) esprimono un maggior numero o una dominanza di posizioni-sé che contrastano il perseguimento del miglior giudizio, mentre i partecipanti virtuosi esprimono posizioni-sé più coalizzate e favorevoli al buon proposito di seguire il nuovo regime nutrizionale impostato.
Akrasia e compliance: un’indagine pilota sulle dinamiche del Sé nei percorsi di miglioramento dello stile di vita
CARNIATO, ANNA
2023/2024
Abstract
This paper puts forth a proposal for an investigation into the topic of 'akrasia' (or weakness of will), which is studied here as a form of non-compliance with treatment. This can be defined as a situation in which an individual expresses good intentions to adhere to a practitioner's prescriptions but ultimately does not do so. In the context of socio-constructionist psychology (Gergen, 2022), akrasia is understood as a particular dynamic relating to the multiple and dialogic nature of the self. This implies that some parts of the individual support the good intention, while other parts may oppose it (Romaioli, 2023). The study was conducted with participants who had embarked on a nutritional journey with the objective of improving their lifestyle and, as a consequence, were required to follow the prescriptions of a professional. The aim was to gain insight into how different parts of the self organise themselves and what relational dynamics they develop between them, specifically comparing participants who demonstrated high compliance with those who failed to adhere to the practitioner's prescriptions. The method used is a specially constructed questionnaire to investigate self-positions in line with the Dialogical Self Theory (Hermans, 2001), while data were analysed using SPSS software. The primary findings indicate that individuals exhibiting low compliance (i.e., akratic) tend to espouse a greater number of self-positions that are in opposition to the pursuit of sound judgment. Conversely, those who demonstrate virtuous behavior tend to express more unified self-positions that are aligned with the intention of adhering to the recently established nutritional regimen.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/69745