Transcending Taboos in Medical Ethics

Hans Thulesius, Lund University, Sweden The following is perhaps what Glaser would call a “theory bit” (1) from a write up of memos inspired by interview data leading up to a grounded theory of De-tabooing Dying Control (2). This conceptualization of what goes on in medical ethics is the product of the analysis of data from two sources. It is the write-up of memos arising from the secondary analysis of the interview data tht initially led to a grounded theory of De-tabooing Dying Control. It is also the product of the analysis of field notes of talks, chats, and...

Grappling with the Suicidal Monster: A G...

Erica Delaney, Evelyn Gordon, Dublin City University, Ireland Background Suicidal behaviour is a significant public health concern given the strong association between acts of self-injury and death by suicide—particularly among young people where rates of self-injury are steadily increasing (National Suicide Research Foundation, 2017). Furthermore, carers including parents, relatives, and significant others are being allocated increasing responsibility in assisting mental health care services in the early detection and management of family members at risk of suicide...

Caring with Honor: A Grounded Theory of ...

Alvita K. Nathaniel, West Virginia University School of Nursing, USA, Lisa Hardman, Women’s Health Services Veterans Health Administration Abstract Veterans comprise a unique culture. Through their military experience, Veterans become ingrained with shared values, beliefs and attitudes that characterize their everyday existence. Health care providers must take into consideration that culture impacts health care seeking behaviors.  The theory of Caring with Honor is emerging through the classic GT method.  A team of investigators within the VA health care system gathered...

Grounding Anger Management

Odis E. Simmons, PhD, USA One of the things that drew me to grounded theory from the beginning was Glaser and Strauss’ assertion in The Discovery of Grounded Theory that it was useful as a “theoretical foothold” for practical applications (p. 268). From this, when I was a Ph.D student studying under Glaser and Strauss in the early 1970s, I devised a GT based approach to action I later came to call “grounded action.” In this short paper I’ll present a very brief sketch of an anger management program I developed in 1992, using grounded action.          I began my research...

Growing Grounded Theory: Doing my Bit

Helen Scott, PhD, United Kingdom In Glaser’s recent book, The Grounded Theory Perspective: Its Origin and Growth (2016), Glaser writes of how he recorded and explicated the grounded theory perspective and disseminated the perspective as the grounded theory general method of research, over a period of 50 years. During this period he has monitored its use, embracing procedural developments (e.g. Nilsson, 2011; Scott, 2011), whilst vigorously defending and differentiating the grounded theory perspective from adaptions (e.g. Glaser, 1992, 2002). A scholastic endeavour of...

The Discovery Power of Staying Open

Judith A. Holton, Mount Allison University, Canada Glaser (1978) emphasized three foundational pillars of GT that must be respected: emergence, constant comparison, and theoretical sampling.  While many qualitative researchers who claim to employ GT will assert their use of constant comparison and theoretical sampling, there is much less clarity around claims to respecting GT’s emergent nature.  Emergence necessitates that the researcher remains open to what is discovered empirically in the data “without first having them filtered through and squared with pre-existing...

Intellectual Autonomy of PhD Researchers...

Andy Lowe, PhD, Thailand Abstract The decision to choose the grounded theory methodology (GT) for one’s PhD research should never be done lightly, as outlined in Glaser (2015).  The emergence of a researcher’s own intellectual autonomy is often of more importance than the research itself. Intellectual autonomy can be fostered perpetually and spasmodically. Keywords: intellectual autonomy, grounded theory, perpetual fostering, investigating, negotiating. Perpetual fostering Intellectual autonomy can be fostered perpetually in three main ways; discovery of “voice”,...

Rethinking Applied Economics by Classic ...

Olavur Christiansen, University of Faroe Islands Introduction The heading of this paper refers to an issue that so far remains unaddressed by classic grounded theory (CGT) researchers. The aim of this paper is to take a closer look at the accordance between the CGT methodology and the field of applied economics (economic policy-making). The goal is NOT to present a finished theory; the purpose is to briefly discuss the main concern and to suggest some possible properties of the recurrent solution of the main concern (the core variable) within the field of applied...