Risk perception in musical settings—a qualitative study

Figures & data

Figure 1.  Illustration of the core category and related higher order categories.

Table I.  Illustration of the three higher-order categories, categories, and subcategories.

Self image	Risk consideration	Norms and ideals
(a) Identifying oneself as vulnerable	(a) Risk awareness	(a) Acting in accordance with social norms
–Perceived consequences of impairment	–Judgement of risk-taking	–Things that are not socially acceptable
–Motives to use protection	–Locus of control
(b) Identifying oneself as invulnerable	(b) The meaning of risk-taking	(b) Acting in accordance with normative ideals
–Ignoring signs of warning	–Risk-taking and music experience	–The ideal of how an individual should be
–Defence mechanisms	–Risk-taking and identity	–The ideal of how music should be

Table II.  The category of self-image. Examples of themes, subcategories and substantive codes included in the categories (a) identifying oneself as vulnerable and (b) identifying oneself as invulnerable.

(a) Identifying oneself as vulnerable	(b) Identifying oneself as invulnerable
Perceived consequences of an impairment	Ignoring signs of warning
Limitations	Not being worried by temporary hearing symptoms
Hearing impairment would make one less social.	Not worried, knew it was tinnitus immediately.
Existential crisis	Hearing symptoms is a part of going to concerts
Becoming deaf would imply losing a sense of meaning in life.	Something is missing when you have not got peeps in your ears afterwards.
Motives to use protection	Defence mechanisms
Being concerned about getting hearing problems	Defence against getting hearing problems
Awareness and worry about tinnitus encourage the use of hearing protection.	I have good ears, so I will not get any hearing problems (denial).
Being dependent of good ears	Defence against using protection
Hearing is important when you are a musician.	Do not go so often, so hearing protection is not needed (rationalizing).
Thinking about the future
Having to think about the long-term health effects of current behaviour.

Table III.  The category of risk consideration. Examples of themes, subcategories and substantive codes included in the categories, (a) risk awareness and (b) the meaning of risk-taking.

(a) Risk awareness	(b) The meaning of risk-taking.
Judgement of risk-taking	Risk-taking and music experience.
Preparedness to take risks	The attraction of being on the edge.
Sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself and take risks.	A good sound level is a level on the limit of becoming too loud.
Exposure to loud music is not a risk behaviour	Taking risks to feel released.
Risk-taking as regards hearing is not the same as other kind of risk-taking.	It is easier to become free of mental barriers when it is loud.
No symptoms—no risk	Risk taking as a distraction or escape from reality.
If your ears are not peeping afterwards, you do not consider it dangerous.	If you want to shut everything out, even your own thoughts, the music has to be loud.
Locus of control	Risk-taking and identity
Internal locus of control	Music helping to create an identity
It is your own decision to protect yourself, when the music is loud.	It feels awkward using earplugs on occasions where your looks are important.
External locus of control
Not up to me to ask them to lower the volume.

Table IV.  The category of norms and ideals. Examples of themes, subcategories and substantive codes included in the categories, (a) acting in accordance with social norms and (b) acting in accordance with normative ideals.

(a) Acting in accordance with social norms.	(b) Acting in accordance with normative ideals
Things that are not socially acceptable.	The ideal of how you should be.
Not melting in	The ideal of not being sensitive or vulnerable
It is important how others perceive you, in deciding whether you are going to use earplugs or not.	It is better to just grit your teeth, and put up with it [the sound level], rather than to use earplugs.
Group pressure	The ideal of being a risk-taker
Others think you are not cool if you cannot cope with the sound level.	People who take lots of risks are the people you admire most.
	The ideal of how music should be.
	Music should be loud
	If the sound level is sufficiently low that ear-plus are not necessary, then it is too low.
	Music as a body sensation
	You have not been to a concert if you have not felt the sound in your body.

Figure 2.  A preliminary conceptual model of the relations between the categories of risk perception.