A Comparative Analysis of Qualitative Research Methodologies

Introduction

It is the qualitative method of research that helps to look deeper into the real conditions of the identity issues through understanding subjectivity, which is the most important part of this phrase. Qualitative techniques differ in that they emphasize information disclosure, distinct from the quantitative approaches, usually based on numerical data and statistics. Such approaches can catch the fullness and specifics of habits and meanings of identity development. These are very helpful in understanding how such psychological processes work. Knowing identity problems is critical to guaranteeing psychological and emotional stability since the person’s concept about who he or she is. This is powerful enough to establish a unique, individual approach to perception, emotions, and behavior. Identity construction is a broad-spectrum phenomenon affected by various factors from different directions, like community culture, society, family units, and an individual’s encounters. Through the application of qualitative research, one can acquire in-depth knowledge of how people view themselves and their own perceived reality and, hence, develop an understanding of how they find their answers in the search for self-discovery. This assessment aims to achieve a comparative analysis among the main qualitative methods, phenomenology, generic qualitative inquiry, and the grounded theory method when it comes to research for identity problems. This analysis seeks to reveal the contributions and deficits of each technique by focusing on its distinctive attributes, strengths, and restrictions, thus leading to findings regarding the optimal ways of using them in studying identity development and associated psychological processes. As a result of the comparison, we wish to provide deep knowledge about how qualitative methods assist in resolving identity difficulties and bringing about the holistic well-being of people.

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Phenomenology

Phenomenology is a qualitative research technique designed to perceive and understand how people live and assess the meaning they associate with these experiences. As a philosophy trying to penetrate principle phenomena as individuals perceive them, considering their “ontological possibility,” phenomenology needs bracketing conceptuality and approaching the phenomenon with an open mind. There are two main principles: epoche, which means to abandon our pre-held prejudices and biases, and eidetic reduction, which refers to identifying the universal features of an experience (Churchill, 2022). Phenomenology proves to be opportune in the study of identity problems. At the same time, researchers explore the intrinsic subjective experience of the people themselves, involving the process of selfhood, belonging, and identity formation. Researchers can reveal the deeper complexities of identity development by employing conversational methods with direct conversation or introspective dialogue. They must be able to see how individuals give sense to their ideas in relation to social, cultural, and personal backgrounds. As a methodology, phenomenology helps researchers identify these nuances in the identity development of individuals, which involves the various challenges, conflicts, and brutal confrontations they might experience throughout their self-perception.

Phenomenology’s strength is that, in this case, it is primarily focused on comprehension and recording of the variety and intricacy of individual experiences, which leads to the discovery of the fundamentals of the subjective dimension of identity problems. Through the approach of the first-person perspective, phenomenology explores the all-embracing outlook of an individual having an idea of how one construes and perceives one’s identity. Furthermore, phenomenology allows the exploration of various identities and the possibility of contextualizing these identities to different cultural and societal circumstances, making it a highly flexible method for addressing identity concerns of multiple types (Smith & Nizza, 2022). While phenomenology helps to gain insights from the relevant accounts and uses narrative to get the research outcomes, it also has disadvantages. For instance, it is difficult to remain unbiased in interpreting people’s words, which is why there is always a risk of the researcher’s view about the study reflection. In addition, it is challenging to generalize the study’s outcome and apply it beyond the particular context.

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An illustration of a study sampled using phenomenology to rese


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