E. RUIZ, A. AVILA
themselves and not for others.
Method
The research was qualitative descriptive. It was established
contact through acquaintances that were single. Are single wo-
men who decide form other hood but not living as a couple,
women and men who were married and then no longer want to
be again, people who have lived together and have no children
so it’s in accurate definition, to this are added other conditions
as its geography, religion, language, education, economic status,
among others. It was looked at the ethical aspects of research
(information, confidentiality and anonymity). The research was
attended by three adult women, 34 - 38 years old, professionals,
living outside and in the family home. Women were considered
to belong to the middle class city in the metropolitan area of
Mexico City, since research shows that in this area is expressed
more clearly the impact of cultural changes of the last decades.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted.
Participants
The study group was formed by three unmarried Mexican
adult. The selection of participants was consistent regarding the
admission criteria. As a recording instrument, and in order to
ensure maximum accuracy in data collection, there were used
two film cameras and two microphones. Both cameras, along
with the two microphones were installed in the interview room,
where the participants and the interviewer met. In accordance
with the ethical standards approved by the American Psycho-
logical Association, the participants knew they were about to be
filmed and showed where the cameras were, which were posi-
tioned discreetly over the furniture and room layout, in order to
minimize bias in participants reactivity.
The observation instrument, such as is required by the stan-
dards of observational methodology, was developed as a system
of categories. The construction of the instrument, in order to fit
the requirements of completeness and mutually exclusive (E/
ME), initially involved transcribed the entire utterances/voice
of participants, which was completed with comments extracted
from recordings. Then it began a long process of categorization
on verbal dimension that would give rise to a great number of
versions of the instrument which was adjusted progressively
towards achieving consistency between the name and content of
each category and the conditions E/ME (Arias iPujol, 2003).
The result is an instrument in which is articulated a system of 8
categories, and ad sub verbal system of 19. All the categories
were defined distinguishing the categorical core and the level of
openness or plasticity and for each on it was extracted examples
and counter examples of recordings made.
Once developed the observation instrument, it was submitted
under a recategorization process, carrying out a regrouping of
categories (verbal) that combined a field format with eight di-
mensions, with eight sets of categories, being the following:
Loneliness = (worry, PREOC , Self-Determination AUTDE and
occupation, OCUP) Work = (For others, PAOT, Both AMB
and myself MI), Family = Independence, IND Standards, NO,
Dependency, DE) Sexuality = (Self satisfaction, AUTS, shared,
COM, Hetero satisfaction HET), free time = (Self-realization,
AUT, Obligation, OBLI, Hetero realization, HETER) Friends =
(Hetero comprehension, HETCO, Both AMAM, self-under-
standing, AUTCO) Singleness = Way to be individual, FORSEI,
self-designation, AUTDE, way being for others, FORSEO)
Couple = (Paradox, PAR, responsible, RES, Complementary,
COM) Loving trajectory = (Comprehensive, COMP, Both,
AMB, uncomprehending INCOM)
Sequence analysis emerges as one of the most suitable tech-
niques for analyzing data obtained in the study of human inter-
action. This is a form of microanalysis. It was developed by Sa-
ckett (1979, 1987) from the influence of the background in the
work of Bakeman and Brown (1977).
GSEQ-SDIS software (Bakeman & Quera, 1992, 1995), as
its acronym suggests, brings together two informatic develop-
ments. First, the SDIS allows obtaining from a standardized and
overall format a sequential data, and secondly, the GSEQ al-
lows powerful description and analysis of sequence data.
The SDIS-GSEQ relies on an analytical technique that was
developed by Bakeman (Bakeman, 1978; Bakeman & Gottman,
1986) and Sackett (1980, 1987) from the records that are in the
works of Bakeman and Dabbs (1976). In turn there are two per-
spectives: prospective (looking the meaning “forward”, as it
occurs occurrence of conduct) and retrospective (in a sense
“backward”), which provides a spectacular image of the pattern
of behavior that allows to see the two sides of intensive dia-
chronic sequential design.
Results
Since the aim of this work is to detect the existence of possi-
ble discursive sequential behavior patterns among unmarried
women interviewed, by analyzing their conversation. The suit-
able data analysis technique is inter-sesional sequential analysis.
This analytical technique proposed by Bakeman (1978) and
Sackett (1978, 1979) that is widely used in the scientific litera-
ture over the last quarter century, aims to detect the existence of
stable structures of behavior that have a probability of occurrence
greater than it can be expected if the effect of the random act.
Upon selecting lag sequential analysis, selecting excitatory
adjusted residuals (P > 1.96) and inhibitory (P < −1.96) at lags
R1 to R5 (see Table 1) we find how criterion behavior FOR-
SEI generates a constant association with FORSEI further al-
ternate with PAR, IND, AUTS in the delays 1, 2 and 3. Fol-
lowing the given behaviour PAR with a consistent association
with FORSEI alternating with IND, PAR and AUTS at lags 1, 3
and 4 continuing with the criterion behavior IND that is predic-
tive with FORSEI, COM and MI at lags 1 and 2, continuing
this predictive sequential relationship with PAR, AUTS, DE,
NOR and FORSEI in delays 3, 4, and 5 respectively, the fol-
lowing behaviour criterion was AUTS that generates FORSEI
and MI in delays 1, 4 and 5. The following given behaviour is
MI has significant probabilistic sequential relationship with
COM, MI and IND, MI, NOR, AUTS and in an inhibitory way
with COMP and RES at lags of 1 to 5. The penultimate crite-
rion behavior is AUTS in a predictive relationship with IND,
PAR and RES at lags 1, 4 and 5. Last criterion category COMP
is in significant sequential relationship with COM, COMP, DE,
HETCO and in an inhibitory way with COM at delays 1, 2 and 5.
Thus we find that the first categories in order of significant
occurrence are; Way to be individual, Paradox and Independ-
ence, the following in significant probability occurrence posi-
tion are Dependency, Self-satisfaction, Complementary Under-
standing and Normal. Finally, the categories of probabilistically
negative inhibitory occurrence are: Responsible, Myself and
Self-understanding.
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