Chapter 7 - What are the power and emotional dynamics of qualitative interview?
researchers attempt to create an interaction that goes beyond a conversational exchange where their interviewees feel SAFE enough to talk openly about their experiences & understandings.
From a psychological perspective in particular, power & emotions come together in both conscious & unconscious ways in qualitative interview.
Anxiety is inherent in human condition and consequently unconscious defenses against anxieties come into play for both interviewee and interviewer and are part of dynamics of the interview. (Hollway & Jefferson 2012)
Society consists of group of people sharply divided by one another. Social division such as race, social class, sexuality, religion & so on - where the social positioning of numbers of certain categories is better than others, giving them greater share of resources and power of the way that society is organized (Payne 2006) There hierarchies and inequalities can shape and be traced in interview interactions
Society consists of group of people sharply divided by one another. Social division such as race, social class, sexuality, religion & so on - where the social positioning of numbers of certain categories is better than others, giving them greater share of resources and power of the way that society is organized (Payne 2006) There hierarchies and inequalities can shape and be traced in interview interactions
Dynamics of power in interviews:
by nature, it is the interviewer who has power, the interviewer defines the situation
by nature, it is the interviewer who has power, the interviewer defines the situation
Elizabeth Hoffman described the interview dance which can be a helpful guide for our interview process:
The researcher will initiate contact, a somewhat powerful gesture, but then the interviewee might have strong preferrences as to where and where to meet. . . Once the interview actually takes place the interview begins by asking questions. . . The researcher's questions however are of little value without the responses from the interviewee. Here again the power shifts back to the respondent. Interviewees might condition the replies on various responses of the interviewer. . . Sometimes the interview process itself can seem threatening [to the interviewee] (2007: 337)
Hoffman described how interviews oftentimes been emotionally difficult to the interviewees and this is normal.
Interviewing members of marginalized group
'done on relatively powerless for the relatively powerful'
The researchers can feel power on the people who are 'silenced'
Interviewing members of elite groups
On interviewing elite groups, you have to 'study up' or 'do your homework'
it is very important to do a background check,
study their profession and familiarize yourself with the interviewee so that you will have an in-depth grasp of the key issues concerning the topic under discussion.
Karen Duke found a set of tools that will help assort authority in her interviews
a clipboard, pen, tape recorder and paper
It may be overwhelming to interview elite group of people but there are some instance that they cannot speak bluntly about things that should be kept a secret.
Elite interviewees may be also a subject to formal constraints on disclosure such as the Official Secrets Act
The Official Secrets Act is a term used in Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom, and formerly in Canada and New Zealand for legislation that provides for the protection of state secrets and official information, mainly related to national security.
The dynamics of emotions in interviews
* importance of emotions in interviews, both those of the interviewee and the interviewer
* the considerable amount of emotion work called for in qualitative interviews, and the potential dangers consequent on this.
Open-ended qualitative interview, with its possibilities for discussing unexpected topics, means that emotional dynamics can be significant for the interview process
Hoffman notes one of her dillemas:
For example, Shaminder Takhar (2009) has described 'covering up' in dress involved her 'covering up' her own emotional responses to the content of those interviews.
In contrast, there are also dangers in empathy and engagement, and some voice concern regarding grief, loss, death violence and so on that would trigger the interviewee. Thus, qualitative research, emotional dynamic of interviews can be intensely personal.
Conclusion
In this chapter, we have considered some of the assymetries of power and generation of emotions in interviews. We considered how the cross cutting social positions off both interviewer and interviweee can shape and shift power dynamics during the interview in complex ways, and the gamut of emotions and emotion work on that interviewing can generate and involve of both parties. Along the way, we have noted how reflecting on the dynamics of power and emotions in the interview process can provide insight about the substantive research topic.
Source:Edwards, Rosalind & Holland, Janet. What is qualitative interviewing? New York: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013, Print.
Elite interviewees may be also a subject to formal constraints on disclosure such as the Official Secrets Act
The Official Secrets Act is a term used in Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom, and formerly in Canada and New Zealand for legislation that provides for the protection of state secrets and official information, mainly related to national security.The dynamics of emotions in interviews
* importance of emotions in interviews, both those of the interviewee and the interviewer
* the considerable amount of emotion work called for in qualitative interviews, and the potential dangers consequent on this.
Open-ended qualitative interview, with its possibilities for discussing unexpected topics, means that emotional dynamics can be significant for the interview process
Hoffman notes one of her dillemas:
'How would my displays of emotion affect my informants' abilities to share the emotional components of their stories? If I shared too much of my own emotions, would I silence them? If I share too little emotion, would I appear unresponsive, hostile, or unable to understand their predicaments?' (2007: 340)
For example, Shaminder Takhar (2009) has described 'covering up' in dress involved her 'covering up' her own emotional responses to the content of those interviews.
In contrast, there are also dangers in empathy and engagement, and some voice concern regarding grief, loss, death violence and so on that would trigger the interviewee. Thus, qualitative research, emotional dynamic of interviews can be intensely personal.
Conclusion
In this chapter, we have considered some of the assymetries of power and generation of emotions in interviews. We considered how the cross cutting social positions off both interviewer and interviweee can shape and shift power dynamics during the interview in complex ways, and the gamut of emotions and emotion work on that interviewing can generate and involve of both parties. Along the way, we have noted how reflecting on the dynamics of power and emotions in the interview process can provide insight about the substantive research topic.
Source:Edwards, Rosalind & Holland, Janet. What is qualitative interviewing? New York: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013, Print.
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