Objectivity in Social Research

Objectivity is always based on the reality of the social phenomenon without any based judgments. Although social research concentrates on social facts which have influenced the human mind. All social scientists are part of human society and their perception regarding any social phenomena is bound to be subjective in nature and tinted by researchers’ own experience. The following discussion gives an explanation of the major problems or difficulties of objectivity in social research; 

  1. Objectivity represents the reality of individual perception from the external perspective. An objectivist approach taken by the Marxists, functionalists, or critical theorists who adopted an external or transcendent viewpoint indicates the actor’s personal or individual experience. So it is found that for objectivists neutral, external, scientific, observers are the only ones who have access to reality whereas the members of society are restricted to appearances. 

  2. The subject matter of social science research is too complex. All propositions are limited to particular social groups and contexts. Thus objectivity is a major issue in social science research where subjectivity is always.

  3. All members of the society have different values, social researchers will unconsciously influence their values. 

  4. Social scientist fails to achieve objectivity because the respondents are human beings have certain human problems, for example, refusal of the respondent, improper understanding, reluctance, etc. All these problems cause biases and invalidate the research findings and conclusions. 

  5. The difficulties of objectivity in social inquiries are attributed to the fact that the researcher is a social being and is also actively participating in socio-legal affairs. In answering this objection, we may say that the biologist is himself an organism and a physicist also a body of given mass, interacting with other organisms and bodies. If objectivity is not achieved in legal studies with the above objection, similar is the case with other sciences also. 

  6. The failure of the researcher lacking in detachment from his social environment generally points to the special potency of interests and emotions which are centred on their interrelationship with other people. In this regard, one should not forget that potent interests and emotions do not inevitably give rise to bias. They do so where satisfaction is gained by our escaping from difficulties rather than by overcoming.

  7. The future of the researcher’s lacking objectives is attributed to social prejudice and custom-based beliefs. Considering carefully, it may be said that social prejudice does sometimes pay and deliver social good. The custom-based beliefs generally contribute to social stability. It is this that makes them less susceptible to challenge. 

FACTORS AFFECTING OBJECTIVITY 

It is very difficult to achieve objectivity in social science research. This difficulty arises out of the adverse influences of (a) personal prejudices and bias, (b) value judgment, (c) ethical dilemma, and (d) complexity of social phenomena. 

  1. Personal prejudices and biases: Prejudices and biases are like fantasies to believe what is comforting to believe. It makes to believe something without considering the evidence. The subjective bias in research is a result of adverse influences of personal motives, customs, and social situations. The sources of bias are selfishness, over-ambition, friendship, relationship, caste and community, class, religion, location, nationalism, language, political affinity, profession, opportunism, sexual bias, business, careerism, group bias, temperament bias, power bias, personal bias, pessimism, optimism, fanaticism, and militancy. Guarding against such biases becomes a matter of perpetual vigilance for a true researcher.

  2. Value Judgment: Value related problems arise from the social context within which research occurs. A researcher’s attitudes towards socio-economic issues are influenced by his values. The objective observer must strive at self-elimination in his judgments and provide an argument that is as true for each individual mind as his own. He has to overcome his subjective judgment. But all persons living in a society are bound to have a set of values.

  3. Ethical dilemma: Research relation with other aspects of research creates ethical problems. E.g. Relation with sponsors, relation with source data, relation with the research subject, etc,. d. the complexity of social phenomena: Social phenomena are too complex for easy comprehension and too vast to have the prescribed knowledge. 

CONCLUSION 

Achieving objectivity of an instrument or study principally requires standardization of the ways in which data are collected, analyzed, and interpreted. This will exclude the subjective or individual influences of the researcher or the concrete situation in which data were collected. In the light of the above reasons, it can be said that obtaining or maintaining objectivity in social science research is not impossible but is difficult. At any stage in research personal motives, social situations, irrational faith, etc. would always influence the researchers. So we must find the best means of avoiding these obstacles. The true remedy seems to be one of making oneself conscious of the influences and being alert and careful in his research process. Social science researchers should constantly engage in improving the techniques or methods of data collection. Besides improving the methods, it is also essential to apply appropriate tools and techniques to eliminate bias, prejudice in research. In the real sense, what is needed is the perfecting of tools which will register, record and classify finer qualitative distinctions.  

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Reference 

  • Methodology of Research in Social Sciences by O.R. Krishnaswami, M. Ranganatham, 2015: Himalayan Publishing house: New Delhi

  • Theory and Practice in Social Research by Dr. Hans Raj, 2018:  Surjeet Publications; India

2 Comments

  1. I think in your writing subjectivity part is missing....ha..ha..ha

    ReplyDelete

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