The Limitations of Language

TLDR

The semistructured open‑ended interview is the gold standard for qualitative health research, yet it is ill‑suited for topics that participants find difficult to discuss or for those with limited verbal communication, especially given the pervasive lack of emotional expression among male participants. This article examines theories of men's emotional inexpression and argues that researchers studying emotionally sensitive topics with men should adopt alternative methods that incorporate other modes of emotional expression.

Abstract

The semistructured, open-ended interview has become the gold standard for qualitative health research. Despite its strengths, the long interview is not well suited for studying topics that participants find difficult to discuss, or for working with those who have limited verbal communication skills. A lack of emotional expression among male research participants has repeatedly been described as a significant and pervasive challenge by health researchers in a variety of different fields. This article explores several prominent theories for men’s emotional inexpression and relates them to qualitative health research. The authors argue that investigators studying emotionally sensitive topics with men should look beyond the long interview to methods that incorporate other modes of emotional expression. This article concludes with a discussion of several such photo-based methods, namely, Photovoice, Photo Elicitation, and Visual Storytelling.