Overview Previous Page Participant Observation
How do people experience family life differently?Sociologists who use participant observation aim to discover the nature of social reality by understanding the actor's perception / understanding / interpretation of the social world. For this reason, Participant Observation is sometimes called a
naturalistic method and tends to be associated with the Interactionist or Social Action perspective. The methodology is, as you would expect, primarily interpretive.

The participant observer, therefore, exploits the human ability to empathise - the main objective being to participate in a social group while, at the same time, employing the insights and understanding of a sociological observer. The point, therefore, is to observe and experience the world as a participant, while retaining an observer's eye for understanding, analysis and explanation.