Why is qualitative research the most radical research in psychology today? How can research be directly linked to social change? What is the role of theory in the development of reflexive action research? This book is designed as a practical guide for the student that is also grounded in the latest developments in theory in psychology. interviewing, narrative, discourse and psychoanalysis, and the substantive chapters on these methodological approaches include worked-through examples clearly structured around methodological stages. A case is made for new practical procedures that bring the student up to the limits of mainstream psychological research methods, and then take them beyond those limits. Resource links guide the student to theoretical debates and to ways of making these debates relevant to a psychology genuinely concerned with critical reflection and social change. Interwoven with the lucid description of conceptual issues and methodological frameworks are 44 boxes which outline key issues in the development, application and assessment of qualitative research methods. qualitative methods taught in psychology today. There are summaries of methodological stages and points to be aware of in the marking of practical reports in relation to specific methods. There also boxes that include coverage, in an accessible point-by-point format, of the context for different kinds of psychology, for ethics and reflexivity, and boxes that explain the parameters for criteria and good report writing.