Self-Esteem Research, Theory, and Practice Toward a Positive ...

Self-Esteem Research Problems and Issues 57sources of data, at least in the psychological realm, and they are tied tothe underlying structures of being human. If we wish to know aboutsomething that is human, then we must be faithful to this basic fact to betruly “objective.” Of course, it is the case that experiential and observabledata are not identical, but that is why we need two paradigms in thefirst place.Next, science is a methodological or step-by-step way of knowing,which means that it can be duplicated by others. The research question orhypothesis, how relevant data are generated, what is observed from suchactivity, and how the material is analyzed to yield regularities are all stepsthat are identified, recorded, and presented. Although we are most familiarwith explicating these steps in laboratory notebooks (which can alsobe seen as quantitative journals), it is important to realize that phenomenologicalresearch follows the same rules. Such descriptive or qualitativeactivities begin with an idea (or hypothesis, if we wish to use traditionalscientific language) concerning what gives rise to a given experience. Then,we implement a program of research that includes specifying how relevantdata were gathered, showing how such material was analyzed for regularities,and presenting specific findings, such as fundamental structures.Each step is identified so that the method can be examined by others andreplicated, if desired. In fact, most social scientists would welcome peopleshowing more interest in doing just that, including this one.One advantage of science is that it allows us not only to discoverinformation but to organize it into powerful bodies of ideas called modelsand theories. These scientific creations, in turn, help generate additionalquestions and more research. Phenomenological researchers are just ascapable of being active at the theoretical level as are their natural sciencecounterparts. In fact, theory building is something qualitative researchersdo rather well. Where quantitative theories lead to predictions and thepossibility of controlling various domains of the natural world, phenomenologicaltheories also offer an understanding of human behavior that isof practical value. For instance, human science research helps us to seehow something is lived both in general and in individual terms. Suchknowledge can be used to help in developing clinical interventions thatare specifically designed for the unique characteristics of a particularperson, group, or culture.Finally, the scientific method is self-correcting. For example, if aresearcher makes a claim, and if someone else duplicates the steps thatlead to it and reaches the same outcome, then the original finding isstrengthened or validated to some degree and scientific knowledge isadvanced. If the steps are repeated and the same outcome is notobtained, then the step-by-step method forces us to reconsider the claimand to look for alternative explanations. The beauty of the scientific