Researching Emotional Topics During Emotional Times : Reflecting on Best Practice for the Management and Negotiation of Emotional Labor in Qualitative Social Research

Hughes, Samantha ORCID: 0000-0002-7715-9808, Lemon, Sarah, Stonebridge, Natasha and Scott, Sam ORCID: 0000-0002-5951-4749 (2023) Researching Emotional Topics During Emotional Times : Reflecting on Best Practice for the Management and Negotiation of Emotional Labor in Qualitative Social Research. In: The Social Science of the COVID-19 Pandemic : A Call to Action for Researchers. Oxford Academic, Oxford, pp. 576-590. ISBN 9780197615133

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Abstract

This chapter discusses the concept of emotional labor by exploring the personal experiences of researchers carrying out qualitative interviews with front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter opens with an overview of some of the emotional aspects of the pandemic, ranging from medical providers witnessing death to more widespread experiences of the fear of losing loved ones and experiencing a dramatically changed daily life. The chapter then provides context by outlining the project from which the authors’ experiences were drawn and presents a summary of the techniques and outcomes of the interview process. The authors then share their reflections to consider the impact of emotional labor on themselves as researchers; this is particularly potent given that the interviews took place during a pandemic, and the researchers had to adapt their lives and carry on working despite experiencing similar stressors to those affecting their participants. Finally, the chapter reviews the authors’ reflections and provides recommendations for the management, support, and self-care of all those involved in the research process, whether within or without a pandemic.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	Chapter 45 The full chapter is freely available via the publisher link below.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	COVID-19; Early career researchers; Emotional labor; Pandemic; Qualitative; Reflections; Self-care
Related URLs:	Publisher
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education and Science
Research Priority Areas:	Health, Life Sciences, Sport and Wellbeing
Depositing User:	Susan Turner
Date Deposited:	10 Apr 2024 13:09
Last Modified:	13 May 2024 15:15
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/13887

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