The Individual in Psychology: Qualitative Understandings
This module introduces a range of qualitative methods used within contemporary psychology and explores the different insights these approaches bring to the area of individual differences. The module will be divided into sections which each introduce a different qualitative method. In addition, the underlying assumptions which inform psychological research into individual differences such as gender, identity, health and so on are examined. The range of philosophical orientations and methodological approaches covered in the module enables you to consider the ways in which the individual and their engagement with the social world can be explored from a qualitative perspective.
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:
- Evaluate one area of individual differences and demonstrate the insights a qualitative research methodology brings to this area
- Clearly communicate an in-depth understanding of one qualitative research methodology and its application to researching individuals’ lives
- Identify a future graduate career route and reflect on the skill set which needs to be developed to embark on this career.
This module will examine how individual differences have been traditionally researched in psychology and explore the challenges and different insights a range of qualitative methods offer in this area.
Topics covered may include:
- Philosophical orientations
- Generating/collecting data
- Analytic techniques
- Writing qualitative research
- Individual differences.
