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31 Deviant Behav. 1 (2010)

handle is hein.journals/devbh31 and id is 1 raw text is: Deviant Behavior, 31: 1-32, 2010 I ie Copyright 0 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC R ISSN: 0163-9625 print/1521-0456 online Taylor&FrancisGroup DOL:10.1080/01639620802296360 how close is too close? balancing closeness and detachment in qualitative research Shana L. Maier Department of Criminal justice, Widener University, Chester, Pennsylvania, USA Brian A. Monahan Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA Conducting qualitative research among deviant or criminal populations can be daunting, especially when one considers the ambiguities and complexities that often plague such research. A particularly challenging issue that many qualitative researchers face is handling the tensions experienced when trying to assess and achieve the appropriate levels of intimacy or closeness (i.e., developing rapport with subjects and becoming a trusted presence in their lives and social worlds) and detachment (i.e., being able to critically observe and analyze research subjects and the settings in which they operate) during the research process. This article draws on interviews with 29 eading and emerging deviance and crime Received 10 August 2007; accepted 18 April 2008. Wethankall of the qualitative researchers who participated inthis research. Thank you to Susan L. Miller for earlier guidance with this research, Patricia A. Adler for helpful suggestions on earlier drafts of this article, and the anonymous reviewers for previous comments. Address correspondence to Shana L. Maier, Department of Criminal Justice, Widener University, One University Place, Chester, PA 19013, USA. E-mail: slmaier@mail. widener.edu I

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