Question

How do sociologists try to deal with difficulties in “objectivity” and strive for objectivity?

Answer 1

To deal with the problem of objectivity sociologists use the technique of ‘self-reflexivity’ or ‘reflexivity’. The sociologist views opinions, norms, or behavioural patterns of different societies from all the perspectives. The sociologist continuously subjects her own attitudes and opinions to self-examination. Also, the emphasis is laid on proper documentation of the research. This helps others to retrace the steps taken by the sociologist and scrutinise the study that has been conducted. It also helps the sociologist to check and recheck his/her work. The sociologist then tries to judge different conceptions of people.

Thus, the sociologists take objectivity as a goal of a continuous ongoing process rather than an already achieved end result.