Teaching Emotion: Emotion as a Bi-product of Research, Equipping Social Scientists to Manage this Data

Ferrie, J. (2018) Teaching Emotion: Emotion as a Bi-product of Research, Equipping Social Scientists to Manage this Data. 7th Consortium of European Research on Emotion Conference (CERE 2018), Glasgow, UK, 04-05 Apr 2018.

Abstract

This paper examines how social researchers USE emotion, rather than a focus on what emotion ‘is’. Qualitative data (as sometimes with quantitative) is a social engagement that requires emotional energy to produce it, in terms of building rapport for example. Further it produces emotional energy as the research empathetically absorbs the data produced. Traditionally (Kleinman & Copp, 1993; Bellas, 1999) this is distilled down to produce discursive evidence, but this sterilising of social data leaves emotion as outside of forms of data recognised as 'credible' (Fine, 1994). This paper considers the value of including emotional data, and considers ways of managing this. Further it considers the 'burden' on researchers who 'feel' the emotional pressure of collecting data, and considers how pedagogically, research methods training must adapt to train students in resilience and ‘emotion managers’. At once this paper explores opportunities to communicate the emotional properties of data to an academic audience (e.g. drawing on Camacho, 2016); but also, to manage the psychological impact of 'emotional data' on the researcher (drawing on Hume, 2007). This paper draws on my work researching the lived experience of adults with a life-limiting condition (Ferrie et al, 2013). Further it draws upon experiences teaching early career researchers about managing the emotional elements of their work (Dickson-Swift et al, 2009), and how to write about this in academic outputs.

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item
• Keywords: Emotion, research, methodology, pedagogy.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ferrie, Professor Jo
• Authors: Ferrie, J.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2018 The Author
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced with the permission of the Author

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