ABSTRACT
Qualitative research has historically played a secondary role to quantitative research in the study of psychological phenomena. However, over the past decade, it has gained recognition as mental health researchers have sought a deeper understanding of complex human experiences. Their goal has been to understand how individuals describe their experience of life events from the inside out. The views of the interviewees are important as their life experiences have made them experts on the particular problem or situation under study. Qualitative research seeks to explore the continuum of the human experience as it relates to a particular problem, to explore the problem in context, and to explore it as experienced by the individual (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000; Gubrium & Holstein, 2002; Kazdin, 1998; Miles & Huberman, 1994; Padgett, 2004, 1998). The primary task of the research is to explicate the ways that people in particular settings come to understand, account for, take action, and otherwise manage their day-to-day situations (Miles & Huberman, 1994).
