The self of the investigator in research with human beings

Abstract

When the editors suggested that I write something on “access”, “intrusion”, “risk of violation of privacy”, based on my own experience and work, I was at a complete loss for how to respond. To me, these kinds of questions should not even come up. If it comes to a point where an interview or observation involves what the participant perceives as an intrusion or infringement on privacy, or when maybe unexpectedly there occurs a violation of confidentiality, my first reaction would be to find out what I had done wrong and examine my own basic principles and actions in the situation. Each human interaction is a two-way affair, and the researcher/evaluator has generally many more responsibilities in it than the participant.

Citation

Witz, K. (2008), "The self of the investigator in research with human beings", Jegatheesan, B. (Ed.) Access, a Zone of Comprehension, and Intrusion (Advances in Program Evaluation, Vol. 12), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 165-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-7863(08)12009-9