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sites are that are representative of the organisation. Denzin (ibid.) suggests thata representational map be used to graphically and pictorially display therecurrent and stable features of the social world — that is, the spatial andphysical layout of the concrete social setting. He sees a map as an aid inrevealing the extent to which the researcher gained familiarity with thephenomenon under study and for justifying the observational and samplingstrategies.FIGURE 1A REPRESENTATIONAL MAP OF THE LAYOUT OF THEOUTPATIENT CENTREFree download from www.hsrcpress.ac.za4.2 Participant observationParticipant observation was undertaken by the researcher in the setting toobserve the everyday actions and interaction of the participants. Thisobservational method is based on the assumption that understanding(verstehen) of the inner perspectives of actors can only be-achieved by activelyparticipating in the subjects’ world and gaining insight by means ofintrospection (Bruyn 1962).During participant observation the researcher assumed the role of “observer”,according to the typology of four participant observation strategies of Denzin(1978: 188) based on Gold (1958: 217-223). 17 Being an observer implies thatthe investigator and his or her objectives are known to those who are beingobserved. This is opposed to concealing the scientific role, and211