Re: Who benefits? 2
Harry Oxley (hxo@management.canberra.edu.au)
Wed, 21 Sep 1994 15:26:11 +1000
>Graham Stead wrote:
>> With regard to who benefits from it all, I wish to add that
>> qualitative methodologies promote the notion of "no more experts"
>> (Lather, 1991) in that participants (no longer subjects!) are also
>> involved in interpreting and giving meaning to research findings. The
>> researcher is not seen as all powerful and controlling the truth and
>> I suppose this feeling of lack of control (and "lack of objectivity")
>> is most disconcerting to modernists.
>
>Absolutely. An excellent example of a theory that is sound but is found
>disconcerting by the establishment would be George Kelly's work (1955).
>Essential to Kelly's personal construct psychology is the metaphor of
>the "person as scientist". While this elevates lay-people to the lofty
>position previously only held by academics, it also threatens the
>prevailing order by being too radical and thus has been largely ignored
>or even misconstrued by mainstream psychology.
>
>Kelly's work (like Jung's) may perhaps actually be a psychology way
>ahead of its time with its emphasis on idiographic analysis and a
>qualitative understanding of the processes that give meaning to
>people's lives. Hopefully with the growing emphasis on alternative and
>constructivistic methods, Kelly's work will finally be acknowledged
>in the mainstream for the unique perspective that it represents.
>
>Also, the person as scientist implies a "power to the people" approach
>which has never suceeded as a movement historically even in democracy.
>Graham, you may be interested in this sociology of science approach to
>pcp. BTW, my paper is on its way to Vista U. Best Wishes. Hemant
>
>> I wonder to what extent quantitative methodologies are pursued purely
>> because one stands a better chance of funding as well as the
>> assumption that such research is more likely to be believed or
>> accepted by policy makers - not to mention the increased
>> number of publications so necessary for promotion. Perhaps
>> researchers also shoulder some of the "blame" for perpetuating the
>> quick-fix methodologies. (By the way, thank you for the references in
>> pcp).
>> Regards, Graham.
>> _____________________________________________________________
>> | Graham B. Stead, Ph.D. |
>> | Department of Psychology, Vista University, Pvt. Bag X613, |
>> | Port Elizabeth 6000 SOUTH AFRICA |
>> | Tel : +27 (0)41-644200; FAX : +27 (0)41-642859 |
>> | E-Mail: Stead-G@Pelican.Vista.ac.za |
>> | "Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and |
>> | writing an exact man" - Francis Bacon, 1597. |
>> |_____________________________________________________________|