Learning from Strangers is the definitive work on qualitative research interviewing. It draws on Robert Weiss's thirty years of experience interviewing and teaching others how to do it. Through those years, Dr. Weiss has shown consummate skill at eliciting insightful, deeply felt responses when interviewing for his successful books on such diverse topics as doing well at work, coping with marital separation, and loneliness. The most effective interviews, says Weiss, rely on creating cooperation - an open and trusting alliance between interviewer and respondent, dedicated to specific and honest accounts of both internal and external events. Against the eclectic background of his work in national sample surveys, studies based on semi-structured interviewing, and participant observation, Weiss walks the reader through the method of qualitative interview studies: sample selection, development of an interview guide, the conduct of the interview, analysis, and preparation of data. Weiss gives examples of successful and less successful interviews, enhanced by a sidebar of his own running commentary on how each interaction between interviewer and respondent inhibits or promotes this essential alliance. He offers specific techniques and guidelines - equally helpful to the seasoned professional or beginning graduate student - which he has found useful over many years of asking people to "tell me about it." Learning from Strangers is a reference guide, an essential text, and a memoir of the experience of doing research. It recounts the emotional experience of being interviewed, the likelihood of respondents telling the truth, and the ethical defensibility of interviewing. Qualitative interview materials have helped Weiss bring to readers the pain of bereavement, the desperate restlessness of loneliness, and the confusions attendant on divorce. Learning from Strangers will be useful to all those who use qualitative research interviews to gather data.

Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies

Politics & Social Sciences

Weiss, Robert S.

Social Sciences

Free Press

Loneliness is among the most common distresses. In one survey, a quarter of Americans interviewed said that they had suffered from loneliness within the past few weeks. Yet for a condition so pervasive, loneliness has received little professional attention. Loneliness: The Experience of Emotional and Social Isolation brings together papers which attempt to capture the phenomena of loneliness with case materials that illuminate the descriptive and theoretical acccounts. It is organized into seven sections, covering: explanations for the neglect of loneliness, and an attept to describe the condition; mechanisms underlying some forms of loneliness; a discussion of situations in which loneliness is commonly found; loneliness among those suffering the loss of a loved one; the loneliness of social isolation; resources available to the lonely; and, finally, a look at issues yet to be dealt with and some suggestions for the management of loneliness. This book is a useful resource for social scientists, clinicians, and individuals who now or in the future may suffer from loneliness.

Loneliness: the experience of emotional and social isolation

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Mental Health

MIT Press]

Surveys the lives of successful businessmen and tries to determine the reasons for their long-term effectiveness

Staying the Course: The Emotional and Social Lives of Men Who Do Well*

Psychology & Counseling

Ballantine Books

Going It Alone

Sociology

Basic Books

Parenting & Relationships

A compelling account of the personal experiences of those whose marriages have ended. Dr. Weiss brings a new understanding of the specific stresses and difficulties of the separated. He makes concrete, practical, and unmistakably humane suggestions designed to ease the transition and to aid in the reorganization of the life of the newly separated. The emotional and social challenges that one might expect to encounter are fully described and coupled with ”strategies for recovery”: how to tell one's children, relatives, and friends; what to expect of (and ask) a lawyer; and what to look for in forming new relationships.

Marital Separation

The First Year of Bereavement

Parkes, Colin Murray

Glick, Ira Oscar

John Wiley&Sons, Inc.

Learning From Strangers is the definitive work on qualitative research interviewing. It draws on Robert Weiss's thirty years of experience in interviewing and teaching others how to do it. The most effective interviews, says Weiss, rely on creating cooperation -- an open and trusting alliance between interviewer and respondent, dedicated to specific and honest accounts of both internal and external events. Against the eclectic background of his work in national sample surveys, studies based on semi-structured interviewing, and participant observation, Weiss walks the reader through the method of qualitative interview studies: sample selection, development of an interview guide, the conduct of the interview, analysis, and preparation of the data. Weiss gives examples of successful and less successful interviews and offers specific techniques and guidelines for the practitioner.

Learning From Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Weiss, Robert S.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Weiss, Robert S.