The Place of the Unconscious in Qualitative Research

Abstract

We know our research design, how data is structured, the questions we ask, methods we use and many other factors allow some meanings to emerge and obfuscates others. We speak as though these decision-making processes are entirely logical, but an intuitive leap is often necessary. The writer maintains that unconscious mental processing is a necessary part of qualitative research, lying under what we call "reflective processing." Some difficult research situations are discussed and ways they might be understood reflexively are shown. Ideas about reflection on the impact of subjectivity in the research process are also discussed. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0302380