Reflexivity on an Empirical Study about Cancer Patients’ Perception of Good Caring in Light of Goffman’s Theory

Abstract

Findings from an empirical, qualitative study conducted by the first author regarding cancer patients' perceptions of good nursing care have previously been published. In this article, the entire research process of the study is analyzed and discussed in light of the social theories of Erving Goffman (1959, 1986), arriving at some complementary interpretations of the findings. Reflections are made specifically based on his theories concerning the interactional frames and the presentation of self in everyday life. The interviewer and the informants entered the interview situation from very different standpoints, with different expectations and objectives, social roles, theoretical backgrounds, and positions within the power structure of the clinical setting. Those differences naturally influence the interaction in the interview situation, not the least of which includes the self-presentation of the patients. The complementary insight dealt with in this article provides an important background for improving nursing care in practice as well as when planning further research.