Abstract
The increasing turn to qualitative research in health psychology raises a number of issues about the appropriate use and relevance of qualitative methods in this field. In this article I raise concerns about methodolatry: the privileging of methodological concerns over other considerations in qualitative health research. I argue that qualitative researchers are in danger of reifying methods in the same way as their colleagues in quantitative research have done for some time. Reasons for the pre-eminence of methods are discussed briefly and their consequences considered. The latter include: a concern with ‘proper’ or ‘correct’ methods; a focus on description at the expense of interpretation; a concern with issues of validity and generalizability; an avoidance of theory; an avoidance of the critical; and the stance of the researcher. I offer some suggestions for avoiding methodolatry and some opinions on how we might develop and use qualitative research more effectively in health psychology.
Keywords
Qualitative researchGeneralizability theoryRelevance (law)Health psychologyInterpretation (philosophy)PsychologyField (mathematics)Social psychologyEpistemologyEngineering ethicsSociologyPublic healthMedicineSocial scienceComputer sciencePolitical scienceDevelopmental psychology
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Publication Info
- Year
- 2000
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 5
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 285-296
- Citations
- 226
- Access
- Closed
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Cite This
Kerry Chamberlain
(2000).
Methodolatry and Qualitative Health Research.
Journal of Health Psychology
, 5
(3)
, 285-296.
https://doi.org/10.1177/135910530000500306
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1177/135910530000500306
- PMID
- 22049137