Reflexive Journaling on Emotional Research Topics: Ethical Issues for Team Researchers

• Published in: Qualitative health research Vol. 17; no. 10; pp. 1329 - 1339
• Main Author: Malacrida, Claudia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.12.2007; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Consciousness; Disabled Persons - psychology; Documentation; Emotions; Ethical aspects; Ethical dilemmas; Ethics; Ethics, Research; Feminism; Humans; Medical ethics; Periodicals; Power; Qualitative Research; Research Personnel - ethics; Research Personnel - psychology; Researcher-Subject Relations - ethics; Researcher-Subject Relations - psychology; Researchers; Self Concept; Teams; Writing; journaling; emotional research topics; reflexivity; transcription and coding; emancipatory research
• ISSN: 1049-7323; 1552-7557
• DOI: 10.1177/1049732307308948

Traditional epistemological concerns in qualitative research focus on the effects of researchers' values and emotions on choices of research topics, power relations with research participants, and the influence of researcher standpoints on data collection and analysis. However, the research process also affects the researchers' values, emotions, and standpoints. Drawing on reflexive journal entries of assistant researchers involved in emotionally demanding team research, this article explores issues of emotional fallout for research team members, the implications of hierarchical power imbalances on research teams, and the importance of providing ethical opportunities for reflexive writing about the challenges of doing emotional research. Such reflexive approaches ensure the emotional safety of research team members and foster opportunities for emancipatory consciousness among research team members.