Thematic Analysis

Eryn Stanton
November 8, 2022
Arizona State University
OGL 482
Introduction
The themes that I have discovered over the course of
this class, past classes, and other areas of my life
have been both good and bad. I have always gotten
good grades and graduated with honors in high school
and I will be doing that again when graduating from
Arizona State University this December. The downfall
of my educational career and events in my personal
life is my independence and procrastination. After
writing multiple essays and taking multiple surveys in
my OGL classes, they have all given me a similar result
and I have completed them in a similar fashion. When
completing assignments, projects, or other activities in
my life I seem to procrastinate getting them done until
I absolutely have to which often leaves me scrambling
to complete what is asked of me.
Data Sources
The data sources that I used were previous
assignments that I have completed, previous
surveys that I have taken, and interviews from
people that I am close with. I used these tools to
collect my data because it gave me the best
information that I could gather when it came to the
themes of my life.
Some of the data that is going to be presented has
been through self-discovery and the failures that I
have encountered. Whenever something happens in
my life, whether it’s failing a test or not showing up
somewhere on time, I relate it back to the traits that
I show and why they failed me. In other cases, the
traits that I have lead me to success in my life which
has been more prominent than my failures.
Friends/Family
Influence
Reflection: My friends and family
have always been a huge part of my
life and there’s nothing I would do to
change that. It’s calming and peaceful
when everyone is happy with who they
have in their lives.
Theme Statement: The influence that my friends and
family have on my life is what impacts my decisions
the most. Making them happy and proud is a driving
factor for me.
● My friends are a primary source of joy for me.
● Making my family proud of the person I am
pushes me to do and be better
● Seeing my friends succeed brings me happiness
because they’re doing well
● Being an only child makes me have high
expectations because there’s no one else to
compare success to
● Sharing success stories with friends and family
makes us see the best parts of each other
Inclusion
Theme Statement: I have always wanted to be
included when it comes to anything that has to do with
the people that I love because that is where I find the
most joy.
Reflection: Being invited to things is ● Being invited to gathering with friends shows
not something that is always going
me that I mean a lot to them
to happen for multiple reasons and
● Seeing family that lives out of state brings me
I’ve grown to accept that but that
peace when catching up with them
mean that when I am invited it
means so much more because they ● When someone asks for my advice it lets me
really want me there with them and know that they respect me and my opinion
they were thinking about me. ● Laughing with the people that I love brings me
peace because we can find joy within each other
● Having deep conversations with others shows
that there is a mutual trust without saying the
words “I trust you.”.
Rejection/
Abandonment
Reflection: Feeling rejection is
something that everyone feels at least
once in their life and it is not a good
feeling by any means. Trying to avoid it
may seem like an impossible task but if
you listen to others and take into
account what they’re saying, it’s really
not that hard.
Theme Statement: I have felt abandonment in my past
and I work every day so that I never have to feel that
way again. I do this by putting my friends and family
first.
● Putting others needs before my own sometimes
will make them want to come to me again in the
future if they have problems.
● Trying to make others happy so they know that I
will not be the person that puts them down
● Communicating about problems before they get
too big and possibly destroy what’s built
● Trying my best so that I know that I could not
have done anything else to try and fix a situation
● Making others happy makes me happy
Self-Reflection
Theme Statement: It is important to take a minute to
yourself and reflect on what you could have done
better that day in order to make yourself and the
others around you proud of who you are.

Reflection: Knowing how to be alone
has taken me a lot of time to get used
to and I would say that I’m not fully used
to it either. Having time to reflect on
yourself can lead down some dark
rabbit holes but it is your job to see the
light in every situation and be thankful
for the life that you have.
● Knowing when and how to apologize when you
are in the wrong so people know that you have
taken accountability and will learn from your
actions
● Deciding when your traits are flaws and when
they are strengths and using them accordingly
● Finding peace in being alone and knowing that
there are still people out there that care about
you
● Listing off the things that you did right in the
eyes of others to make sure you keep doing
them
● Knowing what you are worth and surrounding
yourself with people that also know that
Romantic
Relationships
Reflection: Romantic relationships
don’t always last and that’s okay but the
ones that do last are full of forgiveness
and acceptance of who that person is
and what they want from you and the
relationship. The biggest thing you can
do is compromise so both people can
be happy with what they have.
Theme Statement: The romantic relationship that I
have in my life make me want to be a better person for
not only them but for myself because I hold myself to
a standard higher than anyone else does.
● Showing them love and support by telling them
that I’m proud of them
● Helping them whenever I can with whatever they
need so that way they know they can always
count on me
● Doing the little things so they know that I pay
attention in conversation and care about them
● Being in the moment and spending quality time
with them by not letting distractions get in the
way
● Seeing them happy makes me happy in return
Problem-Solving
Theme Statement: Problem-solving is something that
I sometimes struggle to do but gives me a great sense
of satisfaction when I do figure out how to overcome
the challenge that I’m facing.
Reflection: Solving problems can be
very tricky because there are multiple ● Competing with myself to see how long it takes
different solutions to each problem. to solve a problem and then trying to do it faster
Finding the solution that gives you the the next time
outcome that you want is the best way ● Sharing with others the way I solved a problem
to problem solve. This can take time but if they run into the same one
it will be worth it in the end because you ● Feeling accomplished once the problem is
won’t have regretted the decisions that
solved
were made.
● Showing others that I can do challenging things
on my own, which in turn means that they could
too and fear shouldn’t stop them
● Taking failures and learning from them for next
time
Surviving
Reflection: Getting through each day
does not have to be as difficult or
daunting as it may seem if you take
everything one step at a time.
Overwhelming yourself with the things
that have to get done is only going to
make it worse and open up the
opportunity for those things to not get
done at all.
Theme Statement: Sometimes waking up each
morning and conquering the day is not something that
I want to do because hiding in my room would be a
much better option. Surviving the day is something I
sometimes struggle with and something I know
makes me stronger when the day is over.
● Giving my all doesn’t mean giving 100% if I am
not feeling 100%, sometimes giving my all is
only 40% if I’m only feeling 40%
● Conquering the day knowing that the next one
will be better and I just have to get there
● Pushing myself to step out of my comfort zone
even if it scares me and I don’t want to
● Taking one day at a time can make things seem
less overwhelming
● Thinking about the good things that can happen
throughout the day can make you look forward
to it a little more than you did before
Motivation
Reflection: Finding motivation for me
is difficult because sometimes I’m lazy
or sometimes the thing that I have to
do is boring but in the end, it needs to
get done. That is my driving factor
when getting myself motivated to do
whatever it is, in the end it has to be
done whether I want to do it or not.
Theme Statement: Motivating myself is hard for me to
do because I usually can come up with multiple other
things I would rather do. My motivation is something I
take pride in though because I still do it even when I
don’t want to.
● Being your own motivator is a strength many
people take for granted
● Feeling accomplished after something is
completed even though you didn’t want to do it
in the first place
● Not giving in to the desires that you want more
than the thing that you have to do
● Showing strength even in times of weakness
● Having the ability to say “no” even when it might
be very difficult
Introversion
Theme Statement: I am naturally an introvert and that
is one of my downfalls because it has kept me from a
lot of experiences that I should have had. I try to put
myself out there more but the judgement from others
Reflection: Being an introvert is not a bad
keeps me from doing so.
thing as long as you’re with people that
are extroverts. When I am with people ● Being quiet has made me miss opportunities to
that I know and were doing something
meet new people and form new relationships
new, I am not introverted because I am
● I do not often speak up when something is
comfortable. I guess I am only
bothering me
introverted when I am in a situation that
makes me uncomfortable and I’m alone. ● Catering to others even when they don’t deserve
it in fear that they will get mad and lash out
● Being afraid to communicate unless it is
absolutely necessary even though
communication is very important
● Shutting down mentally and emotionally when
situations get challenging
Focus
Theme Statement: When I want something, that thing
has my entire focus no matter what else is going on
around me and I will not stop until I get what it is that I
want.
Reflection: Being focused on one thing
that takes up most of my time is good ● Never giving up is a huge strength and
and bad because it shows dedication weakness of mine
but it also shows that I cannot prioritize ● Losing interest in other things until I get what i
things. When there is something I want want is not balance and should be corrected
to accomplish, other things will be put ● Thinking anything is possible as long as I want it
on hold even if they should be the things because I think that I am able to achieve it no
that are prioritized. matter what
● Pushing people away when they do not align
with what I want rather than accepting that our
wants are different and that’s okay
● Having the ability to walk away when trying to
get what I want is becoming an unhealthy
obsession
Vision
The time that I have on this Earth is limited but I will
not waste a second of it doing things that don’t bring
joy to me and the people that surround me.
Mission
I am dedicated to making my life the best it can
possibly be so I don’t have to live with any regrets and
I can say that I always tried my hardest.
Conclusion
Overall, I learned that even though I say all these
things about what I want out of life and how I want my
life to turn out, I don’t always stay true to it. I am going
to try harder at staying true to myself and meeting all
of the goals that I have. The expectations that others
have of me and that I have for myself will not be
downplayed and I may even exceed them at times.