Personal Documents

Question 1

What are personal documents?

Answer 1

A useful source for sociological inquiry such as letters and diaries
Sometimes referred to as expressive documents and are secondary sources of data

Question 2

EXAMPLE of personal documents

Answer 2

Jack Douglas used suicide notes as one of his research methods in his famous study of the social meaning of suicide.
He felt it was more valid than durkheim as he only used statistics (suicide notes)
Douglas was able †o provide INSIGHT as to WHY people took there own lives

Question 3

EXAMPLES of life documents

Answer 3

Letters
Memoirs 
Photos 
Emails 
Blogs

Question 4

INTERPRETIVISTS opinions

Answer 4

Interpretivists argue they can reveal the social meanings that shape behaviour

Question 5

DIARIES as personal documents

Answer 5

Researchers can sometimes ask subjects to keep diaries
Can be used as part of an observational study to achieve respondent validation
Researchers themselves can also keep diaries to document the social process and allow them to demonstrate reflexibility

Question 6

EXAMPLE of personal documents

Answer 6

Oakley (1974) asked housewives to keep a record off how they felt about the everyday experience of being a housewife and mother

Question 7

LIMITATIONS of personal statements

Answer 7

Not representative
Issues with validity
Not reliable - cannot be cross checked
Ethical issues - letters were intended to be read by a particular individual

Question 8

STRENGHTS of personal statements

Answer 8

Interpretivists favour this method
Ethnographic - they study people in their natural environment
Cheaper
Suited to longitudinal research