Research is not so black and white: exploring how the emotional self colours the research process

Qualitative research acknowledges the role of the researcher within research (Hammersley and Atkinson, 1995), however, this acknowledgement is in part an attempt to ‘neutralise’ this influence in order to see the data objectively (See Fontana and Frey, 2014). More recently, authors have begun to explore what is now understood as ‘Emotional Reflexivity’ (Burkitt, 2012; Holmes, 2015). For the purpose of this research, emotional reflexivity is defined as the way in which emotion ‘colours’ the researchers perception (Burkitt, 2012). This paper is part of my PhD thesis, and forms a whole chapter dedicated to ‘The Emotional Researcher’. Using field notes, blog contributions, and general written reflections during my writing, this chapter was (and is) reflecting on my own ‘speaking position’ (Coyle, 2008, p.18) throughout my PhD journey. I decided it was important for me to consider this ‘speaking position’ as something that consistently emerged throughout the research process, as opposed to just during the interviews (and as a fixed ‘thing’). Implications for current understandings of ‘the researcher position’ and reflexivity will be explored