The Feminist Biographical Method in Psychological Research

The feminist biographical method is an in-depth interpretive methodology that is useful for research in the field of psychology. I believe that this qualitative method is an excellent tool for analyzing individual narratives of participants lives in relation to the larger cultural matrix of the society in which they live. Although an oral interview is often the primary strategy employed for data collection in this methodology, other sources of information such as personal journals, official documents, and cultural texts are also exciting additions to the research. The strengths of the feminist biographical method include the depth, context, and meaning found in the research; the inclusion of women’s experiences and voices in academic research; and the ability to conduct a sociopolitical analysis of potentially marginalized people. In this article, I delve into the feminist biographical method by providing discussion and examples from research in the field, as well as from my own research. I provide the reader with a personal narrative on how-to conduct research using the feminist biographical method. In particular, I delineate the process of researching the lived experiences of women international students in difficult relationships. As a psychological researcher, I encourage others in the field of psychology to consider using the feminist biographical research to add context, depth, and richness to studies involving human participants.