Table Of ContentSYSTEMATIC
SELF-OBSERVATION
NOELIERODRIGUEZ
ALANRYAVE
QualitativeResearchMethods
Volume49
SagePublications
InternationalEducationalandProfessionalPublisher
ThousandOaks London NewDelhi
ForChinHwei,SaraSen-Mei,andChris,Nina,Emma,Ronnie,
Peg,Albert,Dr.Lee,Barbara,Nancy,Richard,Diana,Steve,Marilyn,
Diane,Hal,Trina,Ellen,Kristina,Jim,Ted,Lee,Scott,Ferd,Don,
Luika,Roselyn,Vivian,Iva,Bob,Rago,Fred,John,Anson,Janina,
Barry,Wade,Lou,Majid,Seatree,Julie,AhQuon,Selene,Pat,
Gerdine,Stephanie,Mike,Bert,andalltheYuens.
Copyright©2002bySagePublications,Inc.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedorutilizedinanyformorbyany
means,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,orbyanyinforma-
tionstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.
Forinformation:
SagePublications,Inc.
2455TellerRoad
ThousandOaks,California91320
E-mail:[email protected]
SagePublicationsLtd.
6BonhillStreet
LondonEC2A4PU
UnitedKingdom
SagePublicationsIndiaPvt.Ltd.
M-32Market
GreaterKailashI
NewDelhi110048India
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Rodriguez,Noelie.
Systematicself-observation/NoelieRodriguez,AlanRyave.
p.cm.— (Qualitativeresearchmethods;v.49)
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
ISBN0-7619-2307-1(cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN0-7619-2308-X(pbk.:alkpaper)
1. Observation(Psychology)2. Introspection.3.
Psychology—Research—Methodology. I.Ryave,Alan.II.Title.III.
Series.
BF76.6.O27R632001
300'.7'2—dc21
2001004187
01 02 03 04 05 06 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
AcquiringEditor: HeidiVanMiddlesworth
ProductionEditor: DeniseSantoyo
Typesetter: DenyseDunn
Copyeditor: ElisabethMagnus
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vii
SeriesEditors’Introduction ix
Foreword xi
HowardSchwartz
1. IntroducingSystematicSelf-Observation 1
ABriefDescriptionofSystematicSelf-Observation 2
TheTheoreticalandMethodologicalBasesfor
SystematicSelf-Observation 2
ABriefReviewofSocialScienceEndeavorsat
Self-Observation 5
HowSystematicSelf-ObservationContrastsWiththe
OtherSelf-ObservationMethods 9
2. ImplementingSystematicSelf-Observation 10
ChoosingtheSubjectMatterforStudy 10
FormulatingtheTopic 13
RecruitingInformants 15
GuidingInformantstoBeScientificObservers 16
TeachingInformantsHowtoObserve 16
TeachingInformantsHowtoReportSelf-Observations 17
PreparingInformantsWithTrainingExercises 18
EthicalConsiderations 19
FeedbackonSystematicSelf-Observation 20
3. ACriticalEvaluationofSystematicSelf-Observation 21
ProblemsinChoosingtheInformants 22
ProblemsinFramingandDeliveringtheInstructions 23
ProblemsinObservingthePhenomenon 24
ProblemsinRecallingandReportingthePhenomenon 25
StrengthsoftheSystematicSelf-ObservationMethod 27
4. FourStudiesGeneratedWithSystematicSelf-Observation 28
CaseStudy1:TellingLiesinEverydayLife 29
CaseStudy2:TheMicropoliticsoftheSecretsToldin
EverydayLife 33
CaseStudy3:WithholdingofComplimentsandtheCovert
ManagementofDisaffiliation 38
CaseStudy4:EnvyintheSocialComparisonsof
EverydayLife 44
AnalyticInsightsGeneratedbyTheseSystematic
Self-ObservationStudies 51
5. OtherApplicationsofSystematicSelf-Observation 51
ResearchableSystematicSelf-ObservationTopics 52
SystematicSelf-ObservationasPedagogy 55
UsingSystematicSelf-ObservationforTherapy 56
Self-ObservationandSelf/SpiritualDevelopment
Practices 58
Notes 61
References 62
AbouttheAuthors 66
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Theauthorswanttotakethisopportunitytothankalloftheirteachersatthe
UniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles,withspecialthankstoHarveySacks,
JohnHorton,andWarrenTenHouten.Ourworkisinspiredbymany,butwe
especiallyappreciatethevisionofHarveySacks,ErvingGoffman,Harold
Garfinkel, George Psathas, Steve Riskin, Emanuel Schegloff, Howard
Schwartz,MarilynGarber,MartinKarasch,andJohnHeritage.Wealsoap-
preciatethepatienceandsupportofourdearfamily,friends,andcolleagues.
vii
SERIES EDITORS’
INTRODUCTION
Thereflectiveandreflexivenatureofobservationaldataishardlyamatter
ofdebate.FromWilliamJamestoErvingGoffman,studentsofthesocial
worldhavestruggledwiththeproblematiccharacterofpersonalobserva-
tionwhilenonethelessrelyingonpersonalobservation—theirownaswell
asothers’—asthesourceofempiricalandtheoreticalfindingsandgeneral-
izations.Whileallanalystsrecognizethatwhatwesee,whatwesay,and
whatwedoareinlargemeasuresociologicallyandculturallyconstrainedif
notpreciselyrulegoverned,suchconstraintsandrulesaretypicallyexam-
inedatsomeremove,throughreportsonandfromothers,andasapplicable
moretothosewhoarestudiedthanthosewhoaredoingthestudying.They
arethustreatedaspartofthehabituatedbutdistinctformoflifeunderthere-
searchgaze.Rarelyaresuchconstraintsandrulesseenasuniversalbuilding
blocksofsociallifeitself,aspracticesinwhichweallengageand,when
viewedbroadly,makesociallifepossible—here,there,andeverywhere.
Noelie Rodriguez and Alan Ryave begin their treatment of Systematic
Self-ObservationinVolume49oftheSageSeriesonQualitativeResearch
Methodsbycallingontheuniversalityofself-consciousness.Theyrightly
notethatmuchofthemostfascinatingsocialdataareinfactpersonalinna-
tureandobservationalincharacter.Moreover,suchdataareeasilylocated
in those mundane, unremarkable reflections and exchanges that form the
thoughtprocessesandconversationalritualsofoureverydaylives.If,for
example,socialrelationsaregenerated(orterminated),smoothed(ordis-
rupted),ortightened(orloosened)throughthetellingoflies,thewithholding
ofcompliments,orthekeepingofsecrets,whatbetterobserversexistthan
thetellersoflies,thewithholdersofcompliments,orthekeepersofsecrets?
Theissueisnotofcoursetheappropriatenessofsuchsources.Atissueis
howtosystematicallydevelopandexploittheall-too-oftenoverlookedpo-
tentialweallhaveofnoting,marking,andreflectingonourowneveryday
activities.AndhereiswhereSystematicSelf-Observationhassomuchto
tellus.
ix
