Painful Insight: Vulnerability, Emotion, and Academic Armor in Qualitative Research

Abstract

Qualitative researchers are repeatedly placed in situations where their "academic armor" (LERUM, 2001), a professionally expected distance, begins to crack. Such moments are often accompanied by shame, irritation, or vulnerability, and are frequently treated as disturbances or risks to research. In contrast, we argue that emotional experiences hold distinct epistemic potential and can generate deeper insights into social phenomena and processes. By drawing on two studies (one on body weight and one on shame), we demonstrate how our experiences of being personally challenged and shamed not only made power and role dynamics in interview situations visible, but also opened up new analytical perspectives. In doing so, we contribute to current discussions on the role of emotion and researcher vulnerability in qualitative research, and advocate for institutionalized formats of reflection and support which enable vulnerability to be used analytically while also fostering researchers' self-care.