The Theoretical Sensitivity of the Researcher: Reflections on a complex construct

In this article the author reflects on the forms and meanings that her theoretical sensitivity as researcher took throughout a grounded theory study, and the consequences for the character of emergent interpretations. Her experience reinforces the contention that theoretical sensitivity is not a cumulative storage of past experiences but, rather, a dynamic and evolving construct shaped by local considerations of which self the researcher prioritizes at a particular time and place throughout the research. The various positionings that the researcher adopts, as guided by his/her 'competing selves', highlight the situated, interactional and hegemonic structure of theoretical sensitivity.