Qualitative_data_analysis

ASSIGNING CATEGORIES 131
suddenly that root-canal work is not what I want to do! [I grew flushed and
dizzy. I ran from the office into the air where I could breathe! I blacked out
for several days and woke up at the seashore.] When I returned, she was still
in the chair. I completed her mouth out of obligation but I couldn’t bring
myself to sign it.
We may want to assign the category ‘temperament’ to this databit also. If so, we
may amend our definition accordingly by adding the following criterion:
Use ‘temperament’ even where there is no explicit statement of emotions,
where there are reasonable grounds for inferring an emotional state from
Vincent’s behaviour.
If we cannot judge clearly in terms of existing criteria whether or not to assign a
category, we may want to extend or modify our criteria in the light of the new data.
Returning to our initial categorization, we have now selected a databit and also a
category. Our next decision concerns whether or not other categories might also be
assigned to the databit. We may discount other categories, but we should do so
consciously and not simply assume that one category exhausts all possibilities. For
example, is there a cathartic element in the reference to Vincent’s suffering through
life’s iniquities? Cathartic humour offers emotional release by making a joke of
situations which make us uncomfortable because they are unpleasant, threatening,
embarassing. We may doubt whether this criterion applies to Vincent’s suffering—
do we obtain ‘emotional release’ because his suffering is ridiculed? On the other
hand, his suffering is certainly unpleasant. To be on the safe side, perhaps we should
assign the category ‘suffering’, while noting our doubts for later analysis. The
suffering Vincent goes through is ridiculed because of the incongruity in presenting
a dentist with an artistic temperament. In this case, there is also an element of
‘transposing’ in this data. We could assign the category, ‘transposing’, to indicate
this aspect of incongruity. Again, we have to define our terms and indicate the criteria
for assigning the category.
We are ready for our first categorization. Now we can hand over to the
computer, which should be able to finish the job in a matter of seconds. Most if not
all of the tasks involved should be accomplished automatically once we have selected
a bit of data and the relevant categories. The mechanical aspects of categorization
should be so straightforward that they do not distract attention from the conceptual
issues. The exact format through which this information is stored will vary with the
type of software used, but it is reasonable to expect computer software to hold most
or all of this information in some shape or form. Some software packages may allow
you to access this information directly, while with others you may need to ask the