Exploring the role of emotional labour within the research context
Speaker(s):
Catherine Quinn, Centre for Applied Dementia Studies, University of Bradford
Bio: I am a mixed methods researcher that has developed and published work on supporting those working and living with dementia in care homes.
Gill Toms
Alex Hillman
Abstract:
How often do we consider the role of emotions within the research process? Emotional labour refers to the management of emotions within the workplace. This is something we do when undertaking research, but we often only consider the impact of research on participants. Emotional labour can occur for researchers working in any type of research methodology during the data collection process. These emotions can have a positive role in building rapport and enabling the researcher to understand the participant’s world. But equally the researcher can find it hard to stay detached and it can lead to emotional strain. In this session we will draw on our experience in dementia research to explore and discuss the emotional impact of research on researchers. As well as considering the role of emotions in the research process we will suggest strategies that researchers can undertake to mitigate negative impacts.