A discussion is presented of the assets and liabilities inherent in doing so-called life study research. Among the topics considered are the nature of the subjective inquiry, the limitations and advantages of phenomenological research, the unintended political implications of participant observational methods, and the problems encountered in research work with people of distinctly different backgrounds from the researcher. Finally, some words are offered regarding the meaning of the research and its merits to those "under study."
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Thomas J. Cottle (1978) studied this question.