Thematic Analysis

Alyssa Limbag
Arizona State University
OGL 482
July 27, 2020

Data Source Data Source Citation Code

Personal Narrative (PA)
Dreams and Desires (DD)
Values Checklist (VC)
The Three Questions (3Qs)
Identities Exercise (IE)
Career Anchors Assessment (CA)
 Interest Profile Assessment (IP)
Jung Typology (JP)
Career Values (CV)
Big 5 assessment (B5)
Interview Questions with Significant others (IQ)
Developing themes about my life and who I am was a challenge for me. I read all the

material for the set up, but it was difficult to grasp. Therefore, I started with my personal

narrative and just started reading and highlighting important aspects to me. I wrote down the

themes on a piece of paper to have in front of me while I went through the other materials. I then

went through the other material and created short citation for each which are listed below. I then

went through each piece of data and started collecting themes I felt I am most connected with.

After I found the ten themes, I went through all data and started making connections with each

and citing my data to the theme.

The way I went about collecting data, was re-reading my material and connecting it to the

theme. I came up with my themes after reading all material, then I choose the strongest themes

that aligned with my data. I went through all the data and typed the theme that fit best with the

data. If the data contradicted a theme I typed “contradiction to theme…”, this helped with

keeping my information organized. Once I realized my themes were supported by a great

amount of evidence, I decided to stick with ten themes which are:

1. My Family is my strength and providing for them is important.

2. Role modeling leadership skills such as confidence, respect, clear vision, and

integrity.

3. Helping other people by being caring and honest.

4. Push for what I want in life with hard work and perseverance.
 5. Enjoy the little things in life.

6. Be positive no matter what and find the good in all things.

7. Maintain a healthy life and put myself first once in a while.

8. Take life situations as an opportunity to grow and learn.

9. Show love to my family and teach my son to grow up loving himself.

10. Aligning my values with a great company will lead me to a meaningful work life.

Theme 1: My family is my strength and providing for them is important.

Evidence:

 Having a family was on my top five check list of the values checklist. (VC).

 “My underlying meaning of my dreams and desires is to provide for my family.” (DD).
  The most joy I find is from my family. My son can shine and change my day to a better

one by just being with me. My husband is my supporter and given me the strength to

keep pushing forward. (3Qs).

 Security and stability in a career are important to establish security for my family and

help me provide for them. (CA)

 “I knew working two jobs would be tough but that didn’t matter, I wanted to provide for

my family and give them what they needed.” (PN)

Contradictory evidence:

 Taking the Big 5 assessment I learned that I could be considered a workaholic. Choosing

my career over myself and my family. (B5).

 On the career anchor, I scored low on the lifestyle integration which is described as

people who are ensuring they have a life balance of interests such as family. (CA)

Reflection:

Growing up, my family was the center of my development. Having a family theme has changed

over the years of growing up. As a child, it meant depending on my family to provide and guide

me. Now, I am a mother and it is my turn to provide and guide my son in the right direction. My

family gives me joy and I can live a joyful life by having them by my side. Developing as a

leader, I have learned that I tend to put my work first and this is something I need to work on

improving. I need to remind myself that my family should come first and work to follow. I have

discussed my work with my husband, and we have made a balance with each other so I could

focus on work. Currently I have accepted a new position with a new company, therefor my time

will be dedicated to adjusting to this new work life. My new position will require me to fly to a
different state for training and I will be away for ten weeks. This will pull me away from my

family but as my husband and I discussed, it is necessary for the time being. We have planned

for them to visit once I settle into my new position and make many facetime phone calls. These

arrangements are necessary to keep this theme strong and to keep us strong as a family.

Theme 2: Role modeling leadership skills such as confidence, respect, clear vision, and

integrity.

Evidence:
  I learned leadership skills from my grandpa, and he was my role modeling growing up.

(PN)

 One of my dreams and desires is to develop as a leader (DD).

 One of my identities was leader and it “Makes me feel proud to lead others and help

others” (IE).

 My family gives me joy and this has built upon the confidence I have as a leader. If I ever

find doubt in my leadership skills, I turn to my husband for support and he has helped me

to create a clear vision of what skills I want to portray. (3Qs)

 One of my values is personal development. I know that I will continue to develop and

maintain these leadership skills because I am on a continuous journey to role model the

skills I want to represent. (VC)

Contradictory evidence:

 During an interview with my previous co-worker (Chelsea) she states, “Inability to be

selfless. You are willing to take a step back from moving up because it doesn’t benefit

the whole team. I believe you need to make more improvement into regards to yourself.

Making more time for yourself and knowing your worth for the company and you can

move up into the next position because you have the knowledge.” (IQ)

 I had the opportunity to learn that I am neither introvert nor extraversion, which was a

surprise because I tend to be introvert in certain situation. Being introvert will contradict

with this theme because I need to be consistent in role modeling my skills. (JT).

Reflection:
Leading others is one of my joys and I find this to be my calling in this world. I have developed

as a leader over the years and learned how to shape who I am. In my earlier years, I was very

quiet and shy, I considered myself to be introvert and I still do. Stepping into uncomfortable

positions challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and lead others. Throughout the years I

have been able to develop in my communication skills, step into an extraversion role, and take on

more challenges to keep developing. The biggest takeaway from my OGL major program, was

learning about stepping into an extraversion role and reconnecting to my introvert self. This has

allowed me to role modeling leadership skills to my peers. Role modeling these skills are

important in my professional life just as in my personal life. I want to be able to role model these

skills to my son because this will show him that I am on a clear path for our journey.

Theme 3: Helping other people by being caring and honest.

Evidence:

 In one of the three questions, what does this world need me to do, I am determined to

help people. (3Qs)

  Helping other people was on my values checklist (VC)

 “High on social was not surprising because one of the leadership qualities I tend to move

towards is servant leadership” (IP)

 My core values are about helping others and it aligns with who I am. I seek to help others

succeed because this is rewarding. (IE)

 I see that my purpose is to help others and by obtaining a position in human resources,

this is exactly what I will be doing. Having a career in this field is a passion for me

because I love to help others to where they want to go. (DD)

Contradictory Evidence:

 Helping others is my passion but I will allow myself to put others before myself and

create longer hours. The Big five assessment determines I am a workaholic which means

I am putting others before myself which could lead to unhealthy lifestyle. (B5).

 As for the results on the Jung Typology assessment, I scored as judging which could

contradict how I help others. (JT).

Reflection:

Helping others is one of my core values and joy in life. This theme is important to my

professional and personal life because we all have a meaning in this world, and I want to help

others as much as I can. Whether helping people at my workplace which could mean just talking

with co-workers about their life. If I can give advice that will help them in any way, I think this

is worth it. Throughout my OGL major, many questions arise, such as what do you want to do in

this world or what is your purpose? Reflecting on my previous work, helping other people by

being caring and honest came up a lot. I know that I want to do this through a human resource
position because this position is meant for people who want to help others by providing support

while at work. At my current work, my co-workers would come to me for advice and this is a

great feeling, knowing I can help them has also gave me a better understanding of perspective. I

never want to lose the trait of being honest, and I hope in the future I will be able to use honesty

in my workplace freely.

Theme 4: Push for what I want in life with hard work and perseverance.

Evidence:
  During the challenging time of my husband’s incident I was able to work hard and push

forward to provide for my family (PN).

 Throughout my life I have had different situations that have caused me pain, but I

learned that I had to stand strong and keep pushing forward. “Through this life changing

event I knew standing strong was my option and pushing forward one day at a time was

the opportunity.” (PN)

 “One big surprise was the score for work ethic as being very high and it could be

described as a workaholic. But looking at my past jobs and current job, I do tend to work

a lot.” (B5)

 My dreams and desires show what I want in life and how I am persistent in pushing for

what I want in this life (DD).

 My values are what I want in life and I will always put those values first. These values

are who I am and who I will fight for in my life. (VC)

Contradictory Evidence:

 Scoring high in security and stability in the CA which states “They show loyalty, the

willingness to change locations if the company and the job require it, and the acceptance

of whatever assignments come along.” This could contradict with pushing for what I

want if I am being loyal to my company which requires me to move a lot. (CA)

 I will put other people first before myself which could contradict with what I want in life

and settle for what other people want. (VC).

Reflection:
I have always been told, if you want something in life you must work hard for it. Growing up, I

wanted to have my own car and buy my own items. I got a job at seventeen and saved money to

buy my first car. This was a great achievement because I was able to do this all on my own. It

took time and perseverance to get what I want but I knew that I wanted to buy a car, so my

parents didn’t have to keep taking me to work or to places I wanted to go. Throughout my life I

took the time to achieve small achievements and one of the biggest achievements is earning my

bachelor’s degree. Working two jobs and going to school full time was not easy but I knew it

would be challenging and I knew what I wanted.

Theme 5: Enjoy the little things in life.

Evidence:

 Understanding what I have in life and not take things for granted through my personal

narrative. “I learned that no matter what life brings you, you must always enjoy the little

things.” (PN)

 Regarding my dreams and desire worksheet, I did not choose many materialist items and

most of my items were for my family and personal development. Small and simple such

as raising my son to be caring. (DD)

 I have taken this perspective literal and enjoy the time I have with my son while he is

small. (3Qs)

 I see myself as a fighter and believer of enjoying the little things in life is what is most
important. (IE)

 During my interview with my previous co-worker (Chelsea), she mentions that I value
life and what I have. (IQ)

Contradictory Evidence:

 I scored high in managerial competence in the CA which states, “and the managerial-

anchored individual requires frequent promotions to remain satisfied”. This could be a

contradictory because I could be blindsided by actively promoting and if it doesn’t

happen it could hinder my them of enjoying the little things. (CA)

 “I want to feel like I am doing something for a purpose. I want to continue to develop and

grow in my organization to keep learning. This will lead me to excitement in an

organization.” I believe this could contradict this theme because if I don’t continue to

develop in my organization or life, then I could hinder what is right in front of me. (CV)

Reflection:
I have always tried to enjoy the little things in life because these little things add up to great joy.

My son is four now, time flies by so quickly and taking all the time I must enjoy my son’s

younger years is something I do not want to regret. One thing I need to remember, if life is not

going my way, I need to continue to enjoy what I have. Life will always have it challenges but I

will remember to grasp what I have right in front of me. I will continue to not take things for

granted and remember that my family will be by my side. One transformational experience was

traveling to the Philippines, my husband’s homeland. This was a cultural shock but also an eye-

opening experience. This country did not have the things we have in the U.S and experiencing

this gave me a better understanding of what I have.

Theme 6: Be positive no matter what and find the good in all things.
Evidence:

 Through any rough experiences, I will always find the positive and hold on to that

positivity. (PN)

 Being positive is something I find joy in and I want to promote this positivity wherever I

go. The world needs me to support an organization that aligns with my core values to

promote positivity for everyone. (3Qs).

 “I take situations and analyze everything before making any decisions. I like to plan out

my decisions and make sure that I am making the right one.” (JT)

 As a parent, being positive is important for my son. Showing him that I can be positive in

all situations will show him that I am optimistic about life. (IE)

 Having a family is my joy and being around them I am the happiest and satisfied with

life. (3Qs)

Contradictory Evidence:

 Scoring high in managerial competence could mean a lot of work and energy. This

competence is recognized principally through promotion, and the managerial-anchored

individual requires frequent promotions to remain satisfied. This could contradict my

theme because if I am not continuously promoting I could loose sight of finding the

positive in things. (CA)

 “I do enjoy working in fast-paced locations because it creates work that can be

challenging.” I believe working in a fast-paced workplace is a necessary piece of

evidence for me. This could contradict finding positivity in everything if I do not have a

workplace that is face paced. (CV)

Reflection:

Having an atmosphere that is positive has provided me with a better outlook on life. I have

learned to be positivity in any situation. I have experienced some situations that were painful, but

I pushed through the pain and found the good in the situation. This will impact my professional

and personal life dramatically and if I can stay positive in the work that I do, I can be positive in

life. I will remind myself to stay positive even if promotions are not coming my way. I will need

to obtain a job that will allow me to work freely and is a face paced environment to stay

consistent in this theme. My husband and I try to look at all things and find the good in any

situations because we can not hold onto negativity that will keep us from moving forward.

Theme 7: Maintain a healthy life and put myself first once in a while.

Evidence:
  “I had to remember to take care of myself in order to take care of my son. If I am not

healthy mentally, then I am not giving my best to my son. This goes for my leadership

while at work with my team. I learned there will be times to say no, such as not working

because I am sick.” Remembering that I need to take care of myself to be able to give to

others. (PN)

 When I think of my joy, I think of my family and this puts me into a healthy life because

they are happy. Even though I put my family first, I am also thinking about myself and

creating a healthy environment. (3Qs)

 All my identities provide me with evidence of a clear path of who I am and what I want to

do in my life. I am certain of all my identities which provides a healthy self confidence of

myself. (IE)

 My dreams and desires provided me with an understanding that I want nice things in

life, like a house or to travel the world. (DD)

Contradictory Evidence:

 My values checklist I listed personal development but as I crossed each item off, this was

the first to go. I believe I will put others before myself any day and this will contradict

with putting myself first when necessary. (VC)

 “One thing I tend to do, is allow people to freely contact me with any issues that could be

work related or personal because I want to help everyone I work with. This has led me to

working longer hours or putting more time into my co-workers…” This could contradict

with my theme and understanding I must say no to keep myself healthy will be important.

(B5)

Reflection:
I know that this theme will be a challenge for me to stay strong with because I tend to put others

first before myself. Over my years, I learned how to say no to certain situations that would not

promote good health to myself. As for work, calling off when sick was a challenge because I did

not like to call off, but I have learned that it is necessary to take care of myself. Taking time

away from my family has not been easy but I understand that I need time for myself at points in

my life to recollect myself and continue to give one hundred percent to my family. I must remind

myself that I cannot continue if I do not take care of myself first.

Theme 8: Take life situations as an opportunity to grow and learn.

Evidence:
  During my interview with significant others, Karla and previous co-worker stated,

“Maintain focus under pressure, leadership comes easily to you. Not getting set back by

any issues and leading the team with confidence”. Taking any type of situation and being

able to grow from the experience is a strength I have. (IQ)

 Scoring very low on the big five assessment for natural reactions includes: Not easily

upset in stressful situations, relaxed, resilient, and calm. These traits have allowed me to

not react quickly to situations and assess how I can grow and learn from it. (B5)

 Re-reading my PN I notice I took all my experience as a reason to grow and learn from it.

My husband’s incident was tough but through the experience we grew stronger. “Taking

life experiences as learning experiences and using what I have learned to continue to the

future.” (PN)

 A core value I have is personal development. This value is important to taking situations

and turning it into a learning experience. (VC)

Contradictory Evidence:

 Scoring low on openness to experience is a contradictory of this theme which could

indicate I am more traditional to situations and remain content to the outcomes instead of

learning from it. (B5)

 In my career value scale, it states, “In a highly structured workplace where work is

routine and structured you would likely become bored and dissatisfied”. This could

contradict with this theme because if I do not choose a career that challenges me, I could

fall from growing and learning. (CV)

Reflection:
I try to take any situation and learn from it because I want to keep a growth mindset. I want to be

a continuous learner and never be satisfy with contentment. I do have a calm demeanor which

allows me to assess my situation quickly and make the best decision. Growing up, I have made

mistakes and it did take me awhile to learn from it. As a teenager, we all have times where we

think we are smarter than our parents. Now that I am a parent, I understand my parents’

perspective and I must teach my son the right ways of growing up. Within my professional life, I

have learned to understand others’ perspective and learn from others. Each opportunity I have

with learning, I want to take it and grow.

Theme 9: Show love to my family and teach my son to grow up loving himself.
Evidence:

 I scored high on Social interest which includes: People with Social interests like working

with others to help them learn and grow. They like working with people more than

working with objects, machines, or information. Helping my son to learn and grow is one

of my joys. (IP)

 Re-reading my dreams and desires, the underlying meaning of what I want is to provide

for my family and raise my son to be caring. (DD)

 Being a wife has allowed me to learn how to love my husband through the good and bad

times. (IE)

 One of my values is having a family. This value is important to my life and if I didn’t

have my family, I would not be the person I am today. (VC)

 During my interview with Karla, she has seen that I care for my family and consider this

to one of my values in life. (IQ)

Contradictory Evidence:

 My score on the Big five was scored very high on Conscientious which includes:

disciplined, efficient, well organized, likes precise detail, strong sense of duty, Very High

scorers could be described as workaholics. I see this as a contradictory because spending

too much time at work can take away the time I put towards my family. (B5)

Reflection:

My family have been by my side through the good and bad times of my life. I want to show the

same love and support they have given me by being caring and honest. My son has been my

ultimate challenge and raising him has provided patience. I want to teach him how to love
himself and show others the love he has. He is a caring and generous boy who loves talking to

people about his toys. I know that as he grows up, I will face many other challenges, but I want

him to know that I will always be by his side through the good and bad times.

Theme 10: Aligning my values with a great company will lead me to a meaningful work

life.
Evidence:

 One of my values is meaningful work life on my VC which is an important part of my

life. (VC)

 “The core value of personal development, helping other people, and meaningful work

align with this identity because I seek to help and lead others on a path to success.” Being

a leader is my identity and being able to lead others will lead me to a meaningful work

life. (IE)

 My career values assessment determined that I find work exciting and I find interest

when work allows me to take risks. (CV)

 The secondary career anchor, stability in my career is important to me because it provides

a sense of security of my career. Knowing that I work with a great company and they take

care of their employees is another factor I look for in organizations. I want to be able to

work with a company that will be able to provide security and movement in my

professional career. This allows for security for my family and I in finances and other life

expectations. (CA)

Contradictory Evidence:

 During my interview with a previous co-worker (Chelsea), she states, “Inability to be

selfless. You are willing to take a step back from moving up because it doesn’t benefit

the whole team. I believe you need to make more improvement into regards to yourself.

Making more time for yourself and knowing your worth for the company and you can

move up into the next position because you have the knowledge.” I believe this to
 contradict with my ability to find meaningful work if I am unable to place my values

first. (IQ)

Reflection:

Having a meaningful work life is important to having a balance and happy life. It will provide

me with a sense of purpose and having a great company to work for will give me a sense of pride

to work for them. If I focus on my core values and align my values with an organization, I will

be able to find the right fit for a career. When I work for an organization, I always put forth all

my effort and support towards that company because I believe in hard work and dedication.

Aligning with a company will give me a satisfaction of accomplishment in my professional life.

It will also give me a sense of accomplishment that my degree will go towards good practice in a

company that aligns with my values.

Vision Statement
Creating inspirational moments with each person I meet by being honest and caring
Mission Statement
• My future vision is to work in human resources developing long lasting
relationships with the people I work with.
I will create a plan to interview with people in this field. I have a few colleagues that
are willing to discuss with me about their experience in this field. Finding internships in
this field is what I have been working towards now as well as moving into a manager
position. Moving into a manger position will give me experience with working with a
team and developing relationships.
• Develop personally as a mother and wife and create a strong relationship with
my family.
I believe this area in my life will always be a working experience and I will keep
learning each day. Taking each day with my son and sharing with him the love and
passion I have for him is my approach. I want him to learn to be independent, be
honest, and true to himself. I will promote health and love into my marriage by being
positive with my husband. Having an open mindset to his ideas and perspectives to
create dialogue.
• I will enhance my leadership abilities within my current career to develop into my
next role by seeking feedback from my peers and leaders.
I will seek feedback from my peers and leaders around me now to continue my
personal development. Asking lots of questions and learning my mistakes. Grow as an
honest and caring leader to further my career.
• I will maintain a motivated attitude to finish college and graduate Summer 2020
so that I may be able to have free time with my family.
I will need to stay motivated with my plan to graduate this summer 2020. I will stay
focus by reading and listening to motivational speakers.
• I will develop a self- care routine to focus on my goals physically and mentally.
I will set goals for my physical and mental state of wellbeing and write each on my
calendar to stay true to my goals.