‘Isolation and Distress’? (Re)thinking the place of emotions in youth research

Abstract

The acknowledgement of researcher emotions should be a vital part of the youth research process, and its outcomes. Drawing upon detailed, personal and emotional accounts of active listening, the extent to which researcher emotions remain unacknowledged within the research process is explored. Youth researchers have clear protocols for protecting the wellbeing of their participants by considering ethical implications, informed consent and power differentials of research. However, the importance of researcher emotions, and how these can affect the research encounter are less well explored. It is argued that undertaking research with children and young people can raise emotional reactions within the researcher. If unacknowledged, the implication may be an increasing risk of researcher vulnerability. Acknowledging and raising awareness of all emotions safely within an academic arena should be a positive, cathartic experience. It can lead to greater protection of young research participants, a more robust support structure for youth researchers, and a more nuanced analysis of the research encounter.

Keywords:

• researcher emotions
• ethics
• youth research
• research process

Acknowledgments

Most importantly, thanks go to the young people who worked with me on this research, and to Andrea Uphoff for helping me think through these issues. Many thanks also for support and feedback from colleagues at Queen Mary University of London, particularly from Jon May and Cathy McIlwaine, and the ESRC for their funding. Finally, thanks to Yolande Anastasi who was an inspiration during the writing of this paper.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carolyn Gaskell

Email: [email protected]