Involvement and Detachment in Researching Sexuality: Reflections on the Process of Semistructured Interviewing

Abstract

In this article, the authors reflect on the utility of the concept of involvement-detachment for researchers involved in a study of the lifeworlds of gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people where one of the researchers was lesbian. They focus in particular on the process of semistructured interviewing in qualitative research and the analysis of material generated by the interviews, noting that complete detachment from the subject of study is neither achievable nor desirable. They discuss the benefit of teamwork in supporting researchers and enhancing the integrity of the research, particularly when the subject is sensitive, the importance of researchers' active management of their own ideological leanings, and the understanding of project management as a conceptual and cognitive process that is fundamental to enhancing research rigor.

Insider and Outsider Perspectives: Reflections on Researcher Identities in Research with Lesbian and Bisexual Women

“…The purpose of the reflexive conversation was to share our experiences of the different phases of our research, and reflect on how our personal identities shaped our design, data collection, and analysis. As we have discussed, some authors have argued that insider researchers hold an advantaged position particularly when they disclose their position as an insider (Labaree, 2002;LaSala, 2003;Perry et al, 2004), while others have argued that an outsider perspective brings benefits (Bridges, 2001). We reflect on our own experiences in relation to this debate, specifically considering the issue of disclosure of insider/outsider status; sometimes our insider status was apparent (e.g., our ethnicities were visible to our participants), while other identities required specific declaration (e.g., our sexual identities).…”

“…This can make it easier to gain participants' trust and build rapport; therefore they may become more fully engaged with the research resulting in rich and authentic accounts (LaSala, 2003;Perry et al, 2004). Despite explicit differences between herself and her participants, Caroline empathized with her participants through their shared identity as women.…”

“…Since the 1990s, researchers have argued that insiders hold a privileged research position when conducting qualitative research, particularly when they disclose this to their participants (Perry, Thurston & Green, 2004). It has been argued that the familiarity of insider status is advantageous when developing research questions, designing interview schedules, accessing and recruiting participants, and during data collection, analysis, and dissemination.…”

“…While data may be richer and deeper due to the shared context of researcher/researched, assumptions of shared understandings can be problematic when collecting data (Kanuha, 2000). Additionally, during data analysis there is potentially a risk of the insider overlooking parts of the data if they take-for-granted its content (LaSala, 2003;Perry et al, 2004). Further, a degree of commonality does not guarantee that an insider will understand participants' perspectives any more than an outsider, especially if their lives are as different as they are similar through other personal, social and situational characteristics which outweigh what is shared (Bridges, 2001).…”

“…LGBT people may consider researchers to be an intrusion unless that researcher is a member of their community, or shares their identity, and is therefore more likely to be considered trustworthy in their motives (Bridges, 2001;Labaree, 2002;Perry et al, 2004). In LaSala's (2003: 18) U.S. research with gay men, participants explicitly told him that they had taken part precisely because he was a gay man who could therefore 'be trusted to accurately portray their lives' (see also Kitzinger's research with lesbian women, 1987).…”