On doing research: the dream and the reality

Abstract

The principal concern of this essay is to offer practical and personal guidance to professional therapists who wish to engage in research in family therapy. It is not a paper about research design or experimental/observational/survey methods: rather the focus is upon the experience of engaging in research. It attempts to destroy a few common myths about researchers, research, and the motives of researchers and those whom they research. Research is seen as a continuing and evolving process (rather than a product) which can intrude in many aspects of the individual's life; it can affect motives, working relationships, organizational composure, personal family life, and personal self-esteem. Research is thus like most other forms of employment. Research, as an activity, must be seen in terms of systems dynamics, resistance to change, and hopefully, in terms also, of selfactualization and the refreshment of professional parts that other addictions cannot reach.Recommendations are made for the structuring of research activity, in the light of the research model presented.

What they don't teach in graduate school: Family systems research in the real world

“…Todd and Stanton (1983) wrote about the quality of family research design and offered recommendations regarding questions of research strategy, "where it is obvious that choices and compromises must be made" (p. 100) to meet real-world constraints. And Gale (1985) published a charming essay describing the personal and professional challenges of doing family therapy research as a part-time endeavor.…”

“…The goals of this paper are to illustrate the kind of systemic analysis that can be applied to research projects, and to support the use of family systems ideas for teaching about the research process. These goals will be addressed through the analysis of a case study, using the conceptual tool of interactional triangles as described by Bowen (1959) andHaley (1976), and through suggestions for family research curricula and thesis proposals.…”

Paediatric liaison research: problems at the clinical—research interface

“…Other researchers have supported this view (for example, Asen et al, 1991) yet it is still the case that research papers in most leading journals report little of the research process and its relationship with the stated aims of the projects. Gale (1985), in his attempts to describe 'what research consists of and to offer encouragement, thought it important that research be seen as 'a continuing and evolving process (rather than a product)'.…”