as qualitative researchers, we choose to enter the lives of others
especially those in vulnerable situations and at pivotal points of time
with intentions of both giving voice to the depth and richness of individual
experience and accomplishing socially relevant changes within the contexts
examined. To fulfill these goals, we choose topics about which we feel passionately,
seek triangulated methods, attempt to establish partnerships with
those studied, and position ourselves openly in approaching the research
scene and interpreting our observations and other materials collected. In
engaging in this complex, rigorous process of inquiry, it is essential that we
recognize that qualitative research is a deeply personal enterprise. In this
article, we identify several complex ethical dilemmas that have arisen in our
experiences of conducting research that probes the very personal, subjective
truths of people’s lives; in so doing, we expose our own frailties, concerns,
and questions as interpretive researchers.