Qualitative_data_analysis

WHAT IS QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS? 39
The idea of process is bound up with the idea of change, and the circumstances,
conditions, actions and mechanisms through which change comes about. Let us
return to the example of dating and mating through the personal ads. We may be
able to identify a number of stages in the process, from first thinking of putting in
an ad, through submitting the ad, receiving a reply and making initial contact, to
subsequent rejection—or romance. Or we can identify and examine the evolution
of events in terms of key incidents, such as the first quarrel or first kiss. We can focus
on the complex interplay of factors which produce a particular result. By describing
this process, we can obtain a sense of how events originate and evolve, and their
shifting significance for those involved. Process refers to movement and change over
time. In place of a static description, we can develop a more dynamic account of
events.
The temptation to divide process into different stages or phases is a strong one,
but not always appropriate (cf. Strauss and Corbin 1990:156). Phasing tends to imply
a product or end-point as the culmination of process: for, example, either rejection
or romance. However, process need not imply progress towards a conclusion, but
simply a significant change in the pattern of events.
I suggested earlier that action is a medium for communicating meaning. But it
would be wrong to reduce action to the meanings which it may import. This would
imply that we live in the world entirely through our minds, whereas the reality is
that we live predominantly through our bodies. We have a physical presence in the
world, which commits us to action independently of what that action means or how
it may be interpreted. If I fall asleep during a seminar, it may mean by accident or
design, an embarrassment or an insult. Or it may be that I am just tired. To survive,
we have to eat, sleep and attend to a variety of bodily functions, such as keeping
warm. We may or may not invest these activities with a variety of meanings, but act
we must.
Indeed, we are condemned to act throughout life, if only in opting between a
series of limited choices, the character of which may be beyond our control. We
may act on impulse, or through force of habit. We should not assume that all
behaviour is purposeful, especially when we know how difficult it can be to establish
any clear sense of purpose. This point is often made in a political context, where
policy-making is often perceived as a process of ‘muddling through’ rather than
rational action. It is easier to agree on what to do than why to do it, and many
policies attract consensus because people can agree over means despite confusion or
conflict over ends.
The other side of this coin is the familiar problem of ‘unintended consequences.’
Pregnancy is a classic example where the result may not have been anticipated or
intended in the original act. Like true love, the paths of life rarely run smoothly.
Promises are broken, ambitions unfulfilled, dreams shattered. We find