The psychofortological experiences of masters degree students in professional psychology programmes: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

English: The aim of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the psychofortigenic experiences of master’s degree students in professional psychology programmes in South Africa. Since most research on the topic of master’s students in psychology is conducted from a pathogenic paradigm, this study aimed to describe these students’ experiences from a positive psychology approach. Eight participants were purposively selected from four universities. The participants engaged in reflective writings and three semi-structured interviews over a one-year span. Four rich cases were identified and data were analyzed according to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The phenomenological approach of this study was useful in exploring the lived worlds of the participants. Themes were conceptualized and operationalized within the structure of psychological well-being (Ryff, 1989), general positive psychology literature, as well as literature based on the development and dynamics of master’s students in professional psychology training. Thorough interpretation of the findings yielded eight themes of significance across the cases, which were all indicative of enhanced levels of psychological well-being as an outcome of the participants’ experiences. The first theme refers to specific goals and high motivation levels with regard to becoming a psychologist, which created a strong sense of meaning and contributed to personal growth in the students. Self-reflection as a trigger for selfawareness was identified and found to be a powerful element that can contribute to personal growth and autonomy in these students’ journeys. The findings further indicated that personal growth is a positive outcome of the experience. Intrapersonal dynamics also aided participants towards greater self-acceptance. The study showed that participants identified interpersonal growth as a positive outcome of the experience and that positive relationships with others were found to be a useful coping mechanism throughout the year; thus, contributing to the psychological well-being domain of environmental mastery. Supervision practices positively influenced the psychological well-being domain of autonomy and were also proven to contribute towards the participants’ personal growth. Furthermore, spiritual deepening resulted from the experience of being a master’s student in professional psychology and spirituality was employed as an effective coping mechanism. The group dynamics of the master’s class and the relationships with class colleagues were found to be crucial factors that positively contributed to the participants’ psychological well-being, specifically within the domain of autonomy and positive interpersonal relationships. Lastly, the findings indicated that the participants identified and employed individual coping strategies throughout their journey, which contributed to the domain of environmental mastery. Overall, the important finding was that, while the experience of becoming a psychologist is known to be a long and difficult journey, it can also be rewarding and holds the potential to enhance psychological well-being. The study concluded with a discussion of the implications, limitations and strengths of the study as well as recommendations for future research.