ABSTRACT
In this chapter we discuss research relationships from the perspective of status and power. Power has been defined as the ability to manipulate others’ thoughts or actions (Kelly, Burton, & Regan, 1994; Millen, 1997). Underlying this discourse is the notion that researcher-participant relationships are primar¬ily dichotomous, asymmetrical, and provide the researcher with an unequal position of power vis-à-vis the participant (Kvale, 2003; Limerick, Burgess-Limerick, & Grace, 1996). This is mainly due to the different social status most researchers have as compared to their research participants, and the patronizing attitude researchers have applied to the participants. This patronizing approach has often led to active or passive resistance on the part of the participants, not only towards the researcher, but to the research process as a whole. Within this context, we maintain that the relationships between the researcher and participants may be conceptualized in terms of a continuum ranging from full cooperation to antagonism and conflict, and delineating five interaction styles: (a) full cooperation; (b) negotiation over reality construction; (c) deflection and power games; (d) discrepancy between declared agreement and actual participation in research; and (e) overt refusal or conflict. We will use each and every interaction style as a source of knowledge construction.
