PROCESS

- Theory development requires linking action-interaction to conditions people respond to and manage.
- Action-interaction must be connected to consequences for theoretical depth.
- Without these connections, findings are descriptive but lack explanatory power.
- The dynamic nature of conditions, subject to time and place, adds complexity to action-interaction.
- To achieve goals, actors must adapt interactions to changes in conditions, creating a responsive and dynamic
process.
- Process in interaction involves changing and repetitive forms, pauses, interruptions, and varying movements.
- Chapter 15 provides guidance on analyzing data for context, complementing the concepts discussed in this
chapter.

Overview of Process

Process is an important aspect of analysis because it gives life to action-interaction. It shows the ability of
persons even to adjust and respond to subtle changes in what is going on around them. Process has certain
properties: (a) It has a variable nature, (b) there are different ways of conceptualizing process, (c) it has
routine action-interaction, and (d) process can be broken down into subprocesses.

VARIABLE NATURE OF PROCESS

- Process refers to a series of connected actions attempting to adapt to changing conditions.
- The nature of this process is variable; it can be like a coordinated ballet or a chaotic soccer riot.
- Actions may be graceful, aligned, purposeful, or disrupted, random, and sometimes hurtful.
- Most human interactions fall somewhere in between, not as graceful as a ballet, nor as chaotic as a riot.
- Sequences of actions are often dull and routine, with a mix of thoughtful and less organized moments.

CONCEPTUALIZING PROCESS

- Process is often explained as having phases or stages, suggesting a linear progression, but not all processes
are developmental.
- Action-interaction consists of a series of related acts, and process doesn't always proceed linearly; it can
involve adjustments, pauses, and changes in direction.
- Process is not always psychosocial; it can be found in various areas like education, law, management,
politics, and the military.
- Using a developmental model might not capture the dynamic nature of action-interaction and the constant
adjustments in the sequence of acts.
- The example of a restaurant illustrates how action-interaction, like between a waitress and a cook, doesn't
necessarily follow a developmental path but adjusts to best serve customers.

ROUTINE ACTION-INTERACTION

- The study of process is crucial for understanding both routine and nonroutine situations.
- Routine action-interaction involves regular acts that may require adjustments.
- Even in routine actions, actors, like a person with diabetes managing blood sugar, make adjustments based
on varying factors.
- Studying routine action-interaction helps identify patterns that establish and maintain stability and social
order.
- Understanding routines, such as those in hospitals, reveals how units function consistently, managing daily
tasks and adapting to changes in staff and patient conditions.
- Routines play a key role in allowing entities to function smoothly, even in the face of unexpected events.

SUBPROCESSES
- Process can be broken down into subprocesses, offering detailed explanations of how the larger process is
expressed.
- In the study of pregnant women with chronic illness, the major process was identified as protective
governing.
- Protective governing involved subprocesses like assessing risks, balancing options, and taking action to
control risks.
- Actions and interactions changed based on evolving conditions in illness and pregnancy.
- Protective governing and its subprocesses occurred consistently throughout each pregnancy.
- The difference between a phenomenon and a process lies in the topic (phenomenon) versus the actual actions
and interactions (process) people undertake to achieve a goal.
- For example, survival is a phenomenon, while the strategies combatants use to increase their chances of
survival represent the process.

HOW TO ANALYZE DATA FOR PROCESS

- Analyzing data for process brings findings to life by adding a sense of movement.
- It encourages the discovery of patterns and the incorporation of variations into the findings.
- Patterns and variations reveal how actions-interactions change under different conditions.
- This analytical approach involves making comparisons, asking questions, and following a course of action-
interaction.
- The process of analyzing data for process requires noting changes and relating them back to conditions.
- Field notes from an interview about a husband's experience with his wife's breast cancer reveal a series of
acts, including the discovery of a lump and the couple's decision for surgery.
- The interview highlights the importance of closely examining actions, interactions, and changes over the
course of the experience, aligning with the principles discussed in Chapter 15.

Summary of Key Points

Process is a notion that describes how persons adjust action-interaction to meet the often- competing demands
created by changing conditions with the aim of reaching desired goals or outcomes. Though process is often
presented in development terms, there are times when process is more situational such as when a person or
group is trying to solve a problem, as was the case of the head nurse presented in the memo that was
previously given or the example provided at the beginning of this chapter of the waitress and the cook
working together to serve customers in a small coffee shop. When analyzing data for process,researchers
should aim at capturing the ability of human beings to think through and adjust their action and interaction to
solve problems and reach goals whether acting alone or in conjunction with others. This applies regardless of
whether or not they are looking at a developmental process, such as becoming a mother or soldier or
researcher-or whether researchers are studying a dynamic process such as surviving the risks of war. To
capture process in data means analytically following the course of what a researcher has determined to be the
main goal of action-interaction in a study, such as "keeping the flow of work going, and by asking questions
and making comparisons, note how the action-interaction changes under different conditions, and then follow
through to determine if desired goals or outcomes were achieved and with what consequences.