TC level Analysis

From Justin: Notably, both samples recognize the underlying semantics of HP as an attachment figure. Additionally, the semantics of relational quality in the OA sample correspond to the semantics of the “social identity reconstruction” in SAA. Finally, HP reliability in the OA sample corresponds to similar semantics found in the “reshaped behavioral schema” in the SAA sample.

After combining both Justin’s interpretation and quantitative data,

1. Shared Recognition of HP as an Attachment Figure

  • Constructs:

    • OA: “HP is an attachment figure” — 32 narratives, 83 relevant texts
    • SAA: “HP as an attachment figure” — 31 narratives, 71 relevant texts

  • Interpretation:

    Both food and sex recovering addicts recognize the underlying semantics of role of HP as an attachment figure, with high relevant text counts in both (83 OA, 71 SAA). The near-identical narrative count (32 vs. 31) suggests this concept is not only prevalent but also deeply integrated into the lived experiences and recovery frameworks in both groups.

2. Relational Quality (OA) and Social Identity Reconstruction (SAA)

  • Constructs:

    • OA: “The quality of one’s HP relationship influences food addiction recovery” — 24 narratives, 47 relevant texts
    • SAA: “Spirituality shapes social identity” — 38 narratives, 84 relevant texts

  • Interpretation:

    Though framed differently, these constructs reflect how relationship dynamics and social/spiritual belonging influence recovery. The higher narrative and text counts in the SAA sample (especially the 84 relevant texts) suggest greater emphasis on identity transformation as a spiritual-social process, while OA maintains a more individualized relational framing.

3. HP Reliability (OA) and Behavioral Schema Reshaping (SAA)

  • Constructs:

    • OA: “Construction of a reliable HP is a pathway for food addiction recovery” — 35 narratives, 86 relevant texts
    • SAA: “Spirituality reshapes behavioral schema” — 29 narratives, 73 relevant texts

  • Interpretation:

    Both programs highlight how a reliable spiritual framework—whether through a constructed HP (OA) or spirituality broadly (SAA)—transforms behavior. OA shows a slightly stronger emphasis, particularly in relevant texts (86 vs. 73), reinforcing the importance of HP stability in managing food addictions.

4. Developmental Origins and Identity Integration

  • Constructs:

    • OA: “HP originates in parental representations and can be modified” — 30 narratives, 56 relevant texts
    • SAA: “Identity integrated with spirituality influences sex addiction” — 25 narratives, 57 relevant texts

  • Interpretation:

    These constructs point to developmental and identity-based pathways in addiction. While numbers are similar, OA emphasizes modifiable internal parental representations of HP, while SAA focuses on integration of spirituality into a reconfigured identity. The convergence in relevant text counts (56 vs. 57) supports this conceptual parallel.

Themes Level Analysis

1. HP is an Attachment Figure

program description narrative_count RT_count theme
OA HP acts as an agent of support 23 34 3
OA Surrender, acceptance, and trust in HP lead to recovery 22 39 10
OA Having a HP stabilizes one’s inner world 19 25 11
OA HP fulfills one’s need for comfort and acceptance 10 10 8
OA Everyone has an innate HP that influences their behavior 9 13 5
OA Spirituality cultivates self-recognition in recovery 7 9 7
SAA Spirituality helps me through God’s/Higher Power’s interventions and transcendent experience 16 21 6
SAA Continuous surrendering for benefits in dealing with sex addiction 13 15 8
SAA I have difficulty using spirituality to help with sex addiction. 12 21 14
SAA Key steps toward admitting powerlessness and surrendering 11 16 9
SAA Spirituality is a great mentor 10 13 7
SAA Spirituality transformed parts of my identity to resolve my sex addiction. 9 13 4
SAA Spirituality is more harmful than good in my life. 9 12 15
SAA Sex addiction disrupts my spiritual life. 8 11 16
SAA Negative impact of sex addiction on spirituality 4 6 17

Quantitative Insights

  • The OA program (rows 1–6) shows higher narrative and relevant text (RT) counts in most entries compared to SAA (rows 7–15), especially in the top three rows:
    • Row 2: “HP acts as an agent of support” has 23 narratives and 34 RTs
    • Row 1: “Surrender, acceptance, and trust in HP lead to recovery” has 22 narratives and 39 RTs
    • These figures suggest that OA participants not only describe HP as emotionally supportive but also discuss this theme extensively across relevant text segments.
  • In contrast, SAA shows a broader distribution of lower counts across more diverse themes, with the highest counts seen in:
    • Row 12: “Spirituality helps me through God’s/Higher Power’s interventions…” with 16 narratives and 21 RTs
    • This may suggest that while HP-as-attachment is still significant in SAA, the theme is often embedded within spiritual struggle, complex dynamics, or identity work, which might dilute frequency per specific sub-theme.

Qualitative Themes and Differences

OA Themes

  • OA participants tend to portray HP in nurturing, stabilizing, and emotionally supportive roles, consistent with traditional attachment theory.
  • Descriptions like “HP stabilizes one’s inner world” and “fulfills one’s need for comfort” evoke the idea of HP as a secure base or safe haven, core elements of attachment relationships.
  • There’s also a developmental or universal framing, as in “Everyone has an innate HP…”, suggesting that OA members may internalize HP as part of their self-structure.

SAA Themes

  • SAA participants reflect more ambivalence or complexity in their attachment to HP:
    • Some express struggle or harm, e.g., “Spirituality is more harmful than good”, or “I have difficulty using spirituality…”
    • Others present more positive integration, like “Spirituality transformed parts of my identity” or “is a great mentor”
  • This suggests greater variability in attachment quality to HP in SAA, possibly reflecting the role of shame, trauma, or conflicted spiritual histories in sex addiction recovery.
  • There’s also emphasis on identity transformation and surrender (e.g., rows 10, 14, 15), indicating that attachment to HP may be tied to larger existential or identity shifts rather than only emotional regulation.

2. Relational Quality (OA) and Social Identity Reconstruction (SAA)

  • Constructs:
    • OA: “The quality of one’s HP relationship influences food addiction recovery” — 24 narratives, 47 relevant texts
    • SAA: “Spirituality shapes social identity” — 38 narratives, 84 relevant texts
program description narrative_count RT_count theme
OA Spirituality/HP is a higher-order system for food addiction recovery 22 34 6
OA HP is an outlet for one’s internal experiences 19 26 12
OA Spiritual practices aim to provide an immediate outcome 19 26 9
OA Having a HP stabilizes one’s inner world 19 25 11
OA Everyone has an innate HP that influences their behavior 9 13 5
OA Spirituality cultivates self-recognition in recovery 7 9 7
SAA Bidirectional influence of social support and spirituality (social support ↔︎ Spirituality) 22 30 11
SAA Thanks to spirituality, I do not have to fight sex addiction alone. 16 22 12
SAA Spirituality helps me through God’s/Higher Power’s interventions and transcendent experience 16 21 6
SAA Continuous surrendering for benefits in dealing with sex addiction 13 15 8
SAA The addict playing an active role in spirituality helps with resolving sex addiction. 12 17 10
SAA Key steps toward admitting powerlessness and surrendering 11 16 9
SAA I find SAA to be helpful for sex addiction. 11 15 13
SAA Spirituality is a great mentor 10 13 7
SAA Negative impact of sex addiction on spirituality 4 6 17

OA Construct: “The quality of one’s HP relationship influences food addiction recovery”

(24 narratives, 47 relevant texts)

  • Main theme:
    • “Spirituality/HP is a higher-order system for food addiction recovery”
      • 22 narratives, 34 RTs
      • Indicates that participants view HP as a guiding, structured force central to recovery.
  • Emotionally supportive roles of HP:
    • “HP is an outlet for one’s internal experiences” (19 narratives, 26 RTs)
    • “Having a HP stabilizes one’s inner world” (19 narratives, 25 RTs)
    • Reflect the role of HP as a secure attachment figure, helping regulate emotion and inner experience.
  • Identity-related aspects of HP:
    • “Everyone has an innate HP…” (9 narratives, 13 RTs)
    • “Spirituality cultivates self-recognition in recovery” (7 narratives, 9 RTs)
    • Show how HP becomes internalized as part of one’s psychological and moral self.
  • Summary:
    • OA participants portray HP as a stable, emotionally attuned figure.
    • The high narrative and RT counts are concentrated in fewer themes, showing a focused and cohesive understanding of HP as a relational agent in recovery.

SAA Construct: “Spirituality shapes social identity”

(38 narratives, 84 relevant texts)

  • Core theme:
    • “Bidirectional influence of social support and spirituality”
      • 22 narratives, 30 RTs
      • Spirituality and social connection shape one another, supporting identity reconstruction.
  • Belonging and support themes:
    • “Thanks to spirituality, I do not have to fight sex addiction alone.” (16 narratives, 22 RTs)
    • “Spirituality helps me through God’s/Higher Power’s interventions…” (16 narratives, 21 RTs)
    • Reflect shifts from isolation to community-based recovery identities.
  • Identity-action themes:
    • “Continuous surrendering” (13 narratives, 15 RTs)
    • “The addict playing an active role in spirituality…” (12 narratives, 17 RTs)
    • “Key steps toward admitting powerlessness…” (11 narratives, 16 RTs)
    • Highlight transformation of self through surrender and spiritual action.
  • Additional identity-linked themes:
    • “Spirituality is a great mentor” (10 narratives, 13 RTs)
    • “I find SAA helpful for sex addiction.” (11 narratives, 15 RTs)
    • These position spirituality as a moral and personal guide.
  • Tension with spirituality:
    • “Negative impact of sex addiction on spirituality” (4 narratives, 6 RTs)
    • Suggests spirituality is so integrated with identity that its disruption is personally distressing.
  • Summary:
    • In SAA, spirituality is a key tool for social reintegration, moral framing, and identity transformation.
    • With more themes and higher RT totals, SAA narratives reflect diverse, dynamic processes of reshaping identity through spirituality.

Comparative Summary

Feature OA SAA
Main Construct Quality of HP relationship influences recovery Spirituality shapes social identity
Anchor Theme “HP is a higher-order system…” (22/34) “Bidirectional social support ↔︎ spirituality” (22/30)
Attachment Role Emotionally supportive, stabilizing HP Spirituality as identity-shaping through community
Recovery Framing Internal, relational, emotionally regulated Social, existential, and identity-based
Theme Pattern Fewer themes, higher cohesion Broader theme spread, identity-diverse
Narrative / RT total for construct 24 narratives / 47 RTs 38 narratives / 84 RTs

3. HP Reliability (OA) and Behavioral Schema Reshaping (SAA)

  • Constructs:
    • OA: “Construction of a reliable HP is a pathway for food addiction recovery” — 35 narratives, 86 relevant texts
    • SAA: “Spirituality reshapes behavioral schema” — 29 narratives, 73 relevant texts
program description narrative_count RT_count theme
OA Spirituality/HP is a higher-order system for food addiction recovery 22 34 6
OA HP is cocreated from meaningful relationships and experiences 22 30 4
OA HP is an outlet for one’s internal experiences 19 26 12
OA Spiritual practices aim to provide an immediate outcome 19 26 9
OA Creating a HP of one’s own understanding leads to recovery 13 18 1
OA An uninformed HP can be a negative influence on one’s recovery 8 8 2
SAA Bidirectional influence of social support and spirituality (social support ↔︎ Spirituality) 22 30 11
SAA I believe meditation and/or prayer are beneficial spiritual practices for me. 17 25 1
SAA Thanks to spirituality, I do not have to fight sex addiction alone. 16 22 12
SAA Preventative and healing aspects of spirituality 12 17 5
SAA The addict playing an active role in spirituality helps with resolving sex addiction. 12 17 10
SAA Spirituality helps me abstain from sexual behaviors. 11 20 2
SAA I find SAA to be helpful for sex addiction. 11 15 13
SAA Spirituality helps me resolve the effects of past behaviors. 8 11 3

OA Construct: “Construction of a reliable HP is a pathway for food addiction recovery”

(35 narratives, 86 relevant texts)

  • Main theme:
    • “Spirituality/HP is a higher-order system for food addiction recovery”
      • 22 narratives, 34 RTs
      • Indicates that participants view HP as a structured, overarching force that organizes recovery. This aligns with the notion of HP being reliable and consistent across the recovery process.
  • Relational development of HP:
    • “HP is cocreated from meaningful relationships and experiences” (22 narratives, 30 RTs)
    • Suggests that HP is not pre-given but developed over time, rooted in human connection. This emphasizes that reliability is not static, but something built and earned.
  • Internal regulation and emotional expression:
    • “HP is an outlet for one’s internal experiences” (19 narratives, 26 RTs)
    • Indicates that HP provides emotional containment, helping regulate inner states — a key aspect of reliability as emotional dependability.
  • Practical or instrumental aspects of spirituality:
    • “Spiritual practices aim to provide an immediate outcome” (19 narratives, 26 RTs)
    • Reflects a view of HP or spirituality as responsive and effective, reinforcing the reliability of spiritual practice in day-to-day regulation.
  • Individualized construction of HP:
    • “Creating a HP of one’s own understanding leads to recovery” (13 narratives, 18 RTs)
    • Emphasizes the agency in constructing a personally meaningful and thus reliable HP, customized to the individual’s values and needs.
  • Critical reflection:
    • “An uninformed HP can be a negative influence on one’s recovery” (8 narratives, 8 RTs)
    • Suggests that a poorly understood or unexamined HP may hinder recovery, highlighting the importance of clarity and intentionality in HP construction for it to be truly reliable.
  • Summary:
    • OA participants frame HP reliability as something that is developed, constructed, and emotionally dependable.
    • The themes reveal a balance between personal agency in building a trustworthy HP and emotional support derived from it.
    • With 35 narratives and 86 RTs, this construct is elaborated through both consistent and critically reflective engagement.

SAA Construct: “Spirituality reshapes behavioral schema”

(29 narratives, 73 relevant texts)

  • Core theme:
    • “Bidirectional influence of social support and spirituality”
      • 22 narratives, 30 RTs
      • Suggests that behavioral change is facilitated by integrated spiritual and relational dynamics, where new social and spiritual patterns support new behaviors.
  • Practice-based transformation:
    • “I believe meditation and/or prayer are beneficial spiritual practices for me.” (17 narratives, 25 RTs)
    • Emphasizes daily spiritual practices as mechanisms of behavioral restructuring, providing discipline and mindfulness.
  • Relational shift through spirituality:
    • “Thanks to spirituality, I do not have to fight sex addiction alone.” (16 narratives, 22 RTs)
    • Shows how spirituality interrupts old behavioral patterns of isolation by fostering connectedness and dependency on a larger power or group.
  • Healing and prevention:
    • “Preventative and healing aspects of spirituality” (12 narratives, 17 RTs)
    • Indicates spirituality is used both proactively and reflectively to prevent relapse and heal underlying emotional drives — key to schema change.
  • Active engagement and agency:
    • “The addict playing an active role in spirituality helps with resolving sex addiction.” (12 narratives, 17 RTs)
    • Suggests that behavioral change is facilitated by agency within spiritual practices, shifting from passive addiction to active recovery.
  • Regulation of impulses:
    • “Spirituality helps me abstain from sexual behaviors.” (11 narratives, 20 RTs)
    • Indicates a direct impact of spiritual engagement on behavioral restraint, consistent with schema modification models.
  • Moral repair and behavioral integration:
    • “Spirituality helps me resolve the effects of past behaviors.” (8 narratives, 11 RTs)
    • Reflects how spiritual growth reshapes interpretations of past actions, enabling a shift in one’s narrative and sense of self.
  • Summary:
    • In SAA, spirituality is framed as a transformative system that actively restructures behavioral patterns and emotional responses.
    • Themes reflect a blend of practice, insight, and agency, highlighting how consistent spiritual engagement leads to concrete behavioral change.
    • The 29 narratives and 73 RTs indicate a strong and multifaceted connection between spirituality and schema transformation.

Comparative Summary

Feature OA SAA
Main Construct Construction of a reliable HP is a pathway for recovery Spirituality reshapes behavioral schema
Anchor Theme “HP is a higher-order system…” (22/34) “Bidirectional social support ↔︎ spirituality” (22/30)
Key Themes HP is co-created, emotionally stabilizing, personally tailored Spirituality restructures thought-behavior links, promotes agency
Focus Reliability through construction, emotional support, intentionality Behavior change through practice, insight, and relational spirituality
Theme Pattern Blend of practical and emotional dimensions, including critical reflection Emphasis on spiritual practices, relational support, and behavior regulation
Narrative / RT total for construct 35 narratives / 86 RTs 29 narratives / 73 RTs

4. Developmental Origins and Identity Integration (not discussed yet)

  • Constructs:
    • OA: “HP originates in parental representations and can be modified” — 30 narratives, 56 relevant texts
    • SAA: “Identity integrated with spirituality influences sex addiction” — 25 narratives, 57 relevant texts
program description narrative_count RT_count theme
OA HP acts as an agent of support 23 34 3
OA Surrender, acceptance, and trust in HP lead to recovery 22 39 10
OA HP is cocreated from meaningful relationships and experiences 22 30 4
OA Creating a HP of one’s own understanding leads to recovery 13 18 1
OA HP fulfills one’s need for comfort and acceptance 10 10 8
OA An uninformed HP can be a negative influence on one’s recovery 8 8 2
SAA I believe meditation and/or prayer are beneficial spiritual practices for me. 17 25 1
SAA I have difficulty using spirituality to help with sex addiction. 12 21 14
SAA Preventative and healing aspects of spirituality 12 17 5
SAA Spirituality helps me abstain from sexual behaviors. 11 20 2
SAA Spirituality transformed parts of my identity to resolve my sex addiction. 9 13 4
SAA Spirituality is more harmful than good in my life. 9 12 15
SAA Spirituality helps me resolve the effects of past behaviors. 8 11 3
SAA Sex addiction disrupts my spiritual life. 8 11 16

OA Construct: “HP originates in parental representations and can be modified”

(30 narratives, 56 relevant texts)

  • Main theme:
    • “HP acts as an agent of support”
      • 23 narratives, 34 RTs
      • Indicates that participants view HP as a reliable source of emotional and practical support, drawing on early life experiences that shape the perception of support.
  • Relational and developmental qualities of HP:
    • “Surrender, acceptance, and trust in HP lead to recovery” (22 narratives, 39 RTs)
      • This theme emphasizes the importance of trust and emotional surrender to HP as a mechanism for recovery. The narrative frequency suggests this is a core relational dynamic in OA recovery.
  • HP as co-created through relationships:
    • “HP is cocreated from meaningful relationships and experiences” (22 narratives, 30 RTs)
      • Reflects the development of HP through relational experiences. This aligns with the idea that HP is shaped by ongoing emotional and social interactions, and is not a static, predetermined concept.
  • Individualized construction of HP:
    • “Creating a HP of one’s own understanding leads to recovery” (13 narratives, 18 RTs)
      • Participants express that HP must be personally meaningful and constructed based on their understanding, aligning with the idea that HP originates from early experiences but can evolve over time.
  • Comfort and acceptance needs:
    • “HP fulfills one’s need for comfort and acceptance” (10 narratives, 10 RTs)
      • HP serves as a source of emotional regulation, offering comfort and acceptance, key aspects of attachment theory where early parental figures fulfill these needs.
  • Critical reflection:
    • “An uninformed HP can be a negative influence on one’s recovery” (8 narratives, 8 RTs)
      • Suggests that an unexamined or poorly understood HP may hinder recovery, emphasizing the need for clarity and intentionality in the relationship with HP.
  • Summary:
    • OA participants describe HP as an emotionally supportive and evolving figure, influenced by early parental representations and personal understanding.
    • The themes reveal a balance between trust, relational support, and the active construction of HP in the recovery process, reinforcing that HP can evolve and change in meaningful ways.
    • The total narrative count (30) and relevant texts (56) suggest a well-developed, nuanced understanding of HP in OA.

SAA Construct: “Identity integrated with spirituality influences sex addiction”

(25 narratives, 57 relevant texts)

  • Core theme:
    • “I believe meditation and/or prayer are beneficial spiritual practices for me”
      • 17 narratives, 25 RTs
      • Highlights the individual practice of spirituality and its integration into daily life as a core tool for identity change in the recovery process.
  • Struggle with spirituality:
    • “I have difficulty using spirituality to help with sex addiction” (12 narratives, 21 RTs)
      • Indicates conflict or ambivalence regarding spirituality’s role in addiction recovery. This theme suggests that spirituality is not always a seamless or straightforward process for all participants.
  • Preventative and healing aspects of spirituality:
    • “Preventative and healing aspects of spirituality” (12 narratives, 17 RTs)
      • Reflects how spiritual practices are used not only to address current addiction behaviors, but to prevent future relapse and promote overall healing.
  • Behavioral restraint through spirituality:
    • “Spirituality helps me abstain from sexual behaviors” (11 narratives, 20 RTs)
      • Shows that spirituality provides behavioral control by shifting impulses, a key way in which spirituality reshapes identity and reinforces recovery.
  • Spiritual transformation of identity:
    • “Spirituality transformed parts of my identity to resolve my sex addiction” (9 narratives, 13 RTs)
      • Suggests that spirituality does not just affect behavior but deeply reshapes the person’s sense of self, a core aspect of identity integration within recovery.
  • Negative aspects of spirituality:
    • “Spirituality is more harmful than good in my life” (9 narratives, 12 RTs)
      • Indicates that for some participants, spirituality can have a negative impact, challenging the idea of a universal positive role of spirituality in recovery.
  • Resolving past behaviors:
    • “Spirituality helps me resolve the effects of past behaviors” (8 narratives, 11 RTs)
      • Spirituality serves as a means of moral repair, helping individuals address the emotional consequences of past actions.
  • Spirituality and disruption:
    • “Sex addiction disrupts my spiritual life” (8 narratives, 11 RTs)
      • Highlights the conflict between addiction and spiritual life, further reinforcing the idea that addiction disrupts identity, and spirituality serves as a key tool for reconstructing that identity.
  • Summary:
    • In SAA, spirituality is seen as both transformative and challenging in the recovery process.
    • The themes reveal both positive and negative aspects of spirituality’s role in addiction recovery, with significant focus on how spirituality reshapes identity.
    • The total narratives (25) and RTs (57) suggest that spirituality is central to the identity and recovery process, but its effectiveness is not universal, varying across individuals.

Comparative Summary

Feature OA SAA
Main Construct HP originates in parental representations and can be modified Identity integrated with spirituality influences sex addiction
Core Themes “HP acts as an agent of support” (23/34) “Meditation and prayer are beneficial spiritual practices” (17/25)
Focus Relational support, trust, emotional regulation, critical reflection Spiritual practices as tools for behavior change, identity transformation
Identity Focus HP as a developing, evolving presence in recovery Spirituality reshapes and integrates new identity constructs
Key Struggles Uninformed HP may hinder recovery Difficulty using spirituality in recovery
Narrative / RT total for construct 30 narratives / 56 RTs 25 narratives / 57 RTs