An investigation into the phenomena and practices of spiritual ...

the perceptions of those seeking spiritual healing, interpretation of the doctrine of thechurches and the related literature.In later chapters I shall return to the reflexive analysis of my own perceptions on SpiritualHealing. In some instances respondents express cautious views similar to mine such as: “Iam very careful about who I approach for spiritual healing.”As not all norms and statuses are formally written down, it is incumbent on the researcherafter first establishing the written norms and statuses from an organizational perspective,to try to find out the unwritten conventions from the individual‟s perspective. Individualsmay imagine or conceptualize the written and unwritten norms and statuses differentlywith no adverse effects providing their interpretation does not conflict with the gatekeeperor other higher aspects of the organization such as the church council. At the beginning ofthe research, I was of the opinion that as a member of a Pentecostal church and as a Blackperson there would be some advantages in being able to collect the data. As „one of them‟there were some advantages but this concept was challenged as I felt more and moreexcluded and in no man‟s land. McCrac en (1988:18) suggests that in qualitative researchthe investigator serves as a kind of instrument in the collection and analysis of data. Healso states that the „investigator cannot fulfil qualitative research objectives without using abroad range of his or own experiences, imagination and intellect in ways that areunpredictable.‟In all ethnographic research when the researcher starts the research journey, with aparticular aim it is accepted that this may have to change, as this is the nature ofethnographic research. I was unprepared for the challenges of entering the field and the73