Interviewing in Depth: The Interactive-Relational Approach

In-depth interviews are used extensively across the social sciences by qualitative researchers and professionals. The traditional, empirical interview does not develop a relationship between the interviewer and interviewee and minimizes the interviewer's personal reaction to the interviewee. In many cases, this interviewing style is appropriate and sufficient for gathering data. However, what if the interviewer seeks a more profound exploration and fuller understanding of the individual being studied? This volume presents a valuable alternative interviewing approach - the interactive-relational - that promotes a clearer, deeper portrait of the person interviewed. This technique encourages the interviewer to participate more fully in the interview, and recognizes the management of the interviewer's personal feelings while still enabling him or her to maintain a professional stance. As a result, the interviewee is allowed to reveal himself or herself more completely and confidently. The author uses transcripts and case studies from interviews he conducted with B F Skinner, Lucille Ball, Sandra Day O'Connor, amongst others, to illustrate how the interactive-relational approach differs from, and is possibly more effective than, traditional techniques.