Reflexive research: Investigating the process of growth in recognition of self-awareness and affect

As incarceration rates rise worldwide, increasing numbers of parents are separated from their children. Researchers have studied the psychosocial impact on inmates and their families extensively. However, few researchers have examined how their own perspectives affect the collection and interpretation of data, specifically about parenting in correctional settings. This paper consider methodological implications of conducting research with incarcerated mothers and fathers, employing critical reflexivity to explore researchers’ individual and collective experiences in a study in Australian correctional facilities. Using ourselves as informants, we examine how the context and life experiences of ‘researcher’ and ‘researched’ interact during interviews in a unique and emotionally charged environment. Correctional research requires careful adaptations to collect meaningful data from inmates and recognise their vulnerability as parents. The emotional content of interviews also has implications for analysing and interpreting research data. Our focus on interviewees as mothers and fathers, rather than as offenders, generated greater understanding of the needs of parents in custody. Recognising researchers’ feelings, experiences and perspectives on parenthood can enrich research with families affected by the criminal justice and child protection systems. These insights can also inform the understanding and practice of social workers, health practitioners, educators and students who work with marginalised parents and children.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, positioning ourselves emotionally is important to researcher reflexivity (Berger, 2015). Moreover, affective reactions can provide a powerful analytic catalyst to understand the situation of marginalised groups (Herland, 2016; Yuen, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflexivity in correctional research: Researcher perspectives on parenthood in a study with incarcerated parents

Rossiter

Power

Fowler

et al. 2018

“…This article is both theoretical and empirical, based on reflections from a qualitative longitudinal study interviewing fathers with behavioural and criminal backgrounds, all in their 40 s (Helgeland, 2010;Herland, 2017Herland, , 2018Herland, , 2020Herland et al, 2015;Herland and Helgeland 2017). The analysis illuminates the reflective, emotional aspects of this interview process, which reminded me of the home visits I had made when working as a child welfare caseworker.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional intelligence as a part of critical reflection in social work practice and research

Herland

2021

Social workers often experience higher levels of burnout compared with other healthcare professionals. The capacity to manage one’s own emotional reactions efficiently, frequently in complex care settings, is central to the role of social workers. This article highlights the complexity of emotions in social work research and practice by exploring the perspective of emotional intelligence. The article is both theoretical and empirical, based on reflections from a qualitative longitudinal study interviewing fathers with behavioural and criminal backgrounds, all in their 40 s. The analysis contains an exploration of the researcher position that illuminates the reflective, emotional aspects that took place within this interview process. Three overall themes emerged – first: Recognising emotional complexity; second: Reflecting on emotional themes; and third: Exploring my own prejudices and preconceptions. The findings apply to both theoretical and practical social work, addressing the need to understand emotions as a central part of critical reflection and reflexivity. The argument is that emotions have the potential to expand awareness of one’s own preconceptions, related to normative societal views. This form of analytical awareness entails identifying and paying attention to one’s own, sometimes embodied, emotional triggers.

“…This paper is based on a 30-year longitudinal study of a group of 85 participants -54 men and 31 women -who as adolescents had severe adjustment problems (Helgeland, 2005(Helgeland, , 2010Herland, 2017Herland, , 2018Herland et al, 2015: Herland andHelgeland, 2017). All the participants engaged in antisocial behaviours, such as truancy, criminality, prostitution, drug abuse and vagabonding, due to challenging home environments.…”

Section: The Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, mothers relate in different ways to the societal expectations around what constitutes ‘good’ mothering, due to their individual childhood histories that shape their understandings of motherhood (Thomson et al., 2012; Woodward, 2016). This article draws on qualitative in-depth interviews with 15 women, following a 30-year longitudinal study of individuals growing up in vulnerable families in Norway (Helgeland, 2005, 2010; Herland, 2017, 2018; Herland et al., 2015; Herland and Helgeland, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conceptualizing motherhood in a context of inequality and vulnerability: Experiences of being a mother after a troubled upbringing

Herland

2019

Self Cite

Applying qualitative data from a 30‐year longitudinal study, this article examines how 15 women coming from vulnerable families reflect on themselves as mothers. Three analytical themes were identified: (a) current and past expectations, (b) having someone to lean on as a mother and (c) experiences with child welfare services. The findings exemplify how these women’s histories are woven together with contemporary discursive understandings about motherhood, and how often conflicting emotions from their own childhoods affect their self-representations as mothers. Attention is paid to the phenomena of motherhood, which is understood as inaccessible solely through language and is thus examined through the lens of psychosocial theories. The findings apply to both theoretical and practical social work, conceptualizing the complexities of motherhood.