Systematic Self-Observation PDF
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SYSTEMATIC SELF-OBSERVATION NOELIERODRIGUEZ ALANRYAVE QualitativeResearchMethods Volume49 SagePublications InternationalEducationalandProfessionalPublisher ThousandOaks London NewDelhi ForChinHwei,SaraSen-Mei,andChris,Nina,Emma,Ronnie, Peg,Albert,Dr.Lee,Barbara,Nancy,Richard,Diana,Steve,Marilyn, Diane,Hal,Trina,Ellen,Kristina,Jim,Ted,Lee,Scott,Ferd,Don, Luika,Roselyn,Vivian,Iva,Bob,Rago,Fred,John,Anson,Janina, Barry,Wade,Lou,Majid,Seatree,Julie,AhQuon,Selene,Pat, Gerdine,Stephanie,Mike,Bert,andalltheYuens. Copyright©2002bySagePublications,Inc. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedorutilizedinanyformorbyany means,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,orbyanyinforma- tionstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher. Forinformation: SagePublications,Inc. 2455TellerRoad ThousandOaks,California91320 E-mail:[email protected] SagePublicationsLtd. 6BonhillStreet LondonEC2A4PU UnitedKingdom SagePublicationsIndiaPvt.Ltd. M-32Market GreaterKailashI NewDelhi110048India PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Rodriguez,Noelie. Systematicself-observation/NoelieRodriguez,AlanRyave. p.cm.— (Qualitativeresearchmethods;v.49) Includesbibliographicalreferences. ISBN0-7619-2307-1(cloth:alk.paper) ISBN0-7619-2308-X(pbk.:alkpaper) 1. Observation(Psychology)2. Introspection.3. Psychology—Research—Methodology. I.Ryave,Alan.II.Title.III. Series. BF76.6.O27R632001 300'.7'2—dc21 2001004187 01 02 03 04 05 06 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 AcquiringEditor: HeidiVanMiddlesworth ProductionEditor: DeniseSantoyo Typesetter: DenyseDunn Copyeditor: ElisabethMagnus CONTENTS Acknowledgments vii SeriesEditors’Introduction ix Foreword xi HowardSchwartz 1. IntroducingSystematicSelf-Observation 1 ABriefDescriptionofSystematicSelf-Observation 2 TheTheoreticalandMethodologicalBasesfor SystematicSelf-Observation 2 ABriefReviewofSocialScienceEndeavorsat Self-Observation 5 HowSystematicSelf-ObservationContrastsWiththe OtherSelf-ObservationMethods 9 2. ImplementingSystematicSelf-Observation 10 ChoosingtheSubjectMatterforStudy 10 FormulatingtheTopic 13 RecruitingInformants 15 GuidingInformantstoBeScientificObservers 16 TeachingInformantsHowtoObserve 16 TeachingInformantsHowtoReportSelf-Observations 17 PreparingInformantsWithTrainingExercises 18 EthicalConsiderations 19 FeedbackonSystematicSelf-Observation 20 3. ACriticalEvaluationofSystematicSelf-Observation 21 ProblemsinChoosingtheInformants 22 ProblemsinFramingandDeliveringtheInstructions 23 ProblemsinObservingthePhenomenon 24 ProblemsinRecallingandReportingthePhenomenon 25 StrengthsoftheSystematicSelf-ObservationMethod 27 4. FourStudiesGeneratedWithSystematicSelf-Observation 28 CaseStudy1:TellingLiesinEverydayLife 29 CaseStudy2:TheMicropoliticsoftheSecretsToldin EverydayLife 33 CaseStudy3:WithholdingofComplimentsandtheCovert ManagementofDisaffiliation 38 CaseStudy4:EnvyintheSocialComparisonsof EverydayLife 44 AnalyticInsightsGeneratedbyTheseSystematic Self-ObservationStudies 51 5. OtherApplicationsofSystematicSelf-Observation 51 ResearchableSystematicSelf-ObservationTopics 52 SystematicSelf-ObservationasPedagogy 55 UsingSystematicSelf-ObservationforTherapy 56 Self-ObservationandSelf/SpiritualDevelopment Practices 58 Notes 61 References 62 AbouttheAuthors 66 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Theauthorswanttotakethisopportunitytothankalloftheirteachersatthe UniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles,withspecialthankstoHarveySacks, JohnHorton,andWarrenTenHouten.Ourworkisinspiredbymany,butwe especiallyappreciatethevisionofHarveySacks,ErvingGoffman,Harold Garfinkel, George Psathas, Steve Riskin, Emanuel Schegloff, Howard Schwartz,MarilynGarber,MartinKarasch,andJohnHeritage.Wealsoap- preciatethepatienceandsupportofourdearfamily,friends,andcolleagues. vii SERIES EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION Thereflectiveandreflexivenatureofobservationaldataishardlyamatter ofdebate.FromWilliamJamestoErvingGoffman,studentsofthesocial worldhavestruggledwiththeproblematiccharacterofpersonalobserva- tionwhilenonethelessrelyingonpersonalobservation—theirownaswell asothers’—asthesourceofempiricalandtheoreticalfindingsandgeneral- izations.Whileallanalystsrecognizethatwhatwesee,whatwesay,and whatwedoareinlargemeasuresociologicallyandculturallyconstrainedif notpreciselyrulegoverned,suchconstraintsandrulesaretypicallyexam- inedatsomeremove,throughreportsonandfromothers,andasapplicable moretothosewhoarestudiedthanthosewhoaredoingthestudying.They arethustreatedaspartofthehabituatedbutdistinctformoflifeunderthere- searchgaze.Rarelyaresuchconstraintsandrulesseenasuniversalbuilding blocksofsociallifeitself,aspracticesinwhichweallengageand,when viewedbroadly,makesociallifepossible—here,there,andeverywhere. Noelie Rodriguez and Alan Ryave begin their treatment of Systematic Self-ObservationinVolume49oftheSageSeriesonQualitativeResearch Methodsbycallingontheuniversalityofself-consciousness.Theyrightly notethatmuchofthemostfascinatingsocialdataareinfactpersonalinna- tureandobservationalincharacter.Moreover,suchdataareeasilylocated in those mundane, unremarkable reflections and exchanges that form the thoughtprocessesandconversationalritualsofoureverydaylives.If,for example,socialrelationsaregenerated(orterminated),smoothed(ordis- rupted),ortightened(orloosened)throughthetellingoflies,thewithholding ofcompliments,orthekeepingofsecrets,whatbetterobserversexistthan thetellersoflies,thewithholdersofcompliments,orthekeepersofsecrets? Theissueisnotofcoursetheappropriatenessofsuchsources.Atissueis howtosystematicallydevelopandexploittheall-too-oftenoverlookedpo- tentialweallhaveofnoting,marking,andreflectingonourowneveryday activities.AndhereiswhereSystematicSelf-Observationhassomuchto tellus. ix
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