Troubling Method

Abstract

In the last chapter, I suggested that authenticity requires not just an internal sense of purpose, but also responsiveness towards others. Such a responsive orientation necessitates a willingness to think from different perspectives so as to enrich one’s understanding. Arendt described this pursuit as ‘thinking without a bannister’, an activity that requires a person to move beyond the constraints of their own assumptions. As part of my attempt to ‘think without a bannister’, and enhance my understanding of the connections among gender, authenticity and leadership, I conducted a qualitative study. The purpose of this chapter is to explore my qualitative approach, which is in the tradition of existential, hermeneutic phenomenology, coupled with a feminist orientation.