The methodology chosen for this research is the case study that is associated with the focus on a particular problem (Creswell, 2012). The problem under analysis is the compulsive buying disorder in women in their late 30s, and the focus is on the way these females see their conditions, its causes and effects on their personality, career, family and so on. The philosophical assumption and philosophical framework behind this study are concerned with the analysis and interpretation of various realities. The methods of data collection and analysis are consistent with the philosophical framework of the research.
It is necessary to note that the ontological philosophical assumption serves as the basis for this study. Creswell (2012) states that the ontological philosophical assumption aims at analyzing different realities people live in to gain knowledge concerning a problem. Therefore, the researcher will focus on accounts of the participants who will share their views and attitudes. Importantly, the researcher will encourage the participants to consider different domains and explore the realities they live in.
For instance, such aspects as personality and depression have appeared in scholars’ lens. For example, Shahjehan, Qureshi, Zeb and Saifullah (2012) and Granero et al. (2016) explore the correlation between personality and compulsive buying behaviors. At the same time, Müller et al. (2014) also pay attention to such dimension as depression. Of course, apart from these elements, it is crucial to look into such realities as professional life, family life and so on. The attention to multiple aspects can enable the researcher to get the necessary data on the problem, its causes and effects.
As to the philosophical framework, social constructivism can be utilized as it also focuses on multiple realities and provides particular tools to analyze them. Creswell (2012) notes that this framework puts interpretation to the fore. People live in the realities that often get in touch with each other. They are also full of meaning that can be elicited through interpretation.
The philosophical paradigm mentioned above is associated with the use of the interview as the major data collection method. Therefore, semi-structured interviews will be carried out. This data collection tool enables the researcher to adjust questions and elicit the participants’ opinions on various aspects, thus, describing realities they live in. To obtain more diverse data, the analysis of literature available on the matter will also be implemented. This information will help in the development of interview questions and aspects to pay attention to.
Finally, the construction of realities is also associated with the digital world. To gain more insights into the realities of the participants as well as ways to interpret them, the researcher will briefly review information (textual and visual) the participants post in social networks. Since people now invest a lot of time in communication through social networks, posts made during the past six months will be viewed. These data will help the researcher to get a broader view of the participants’ opinions.
As far as data analysis is concerned, the philosophical framework, as well as the nature of the case study methodology, presupposes the identification of themes recurrent in the participants’ accounts (Creswell, 2012). The themes will be analyzed and placed in chronological order. The frequency of themes will also be estimated, which will help in detecting the most relevant themes.
On balance, it is necessary to note that this research will be based on the case study methodology. The ontological philosophical assumption and social constructivism frame the case study tools that include the analysis of the participants’ accounts obtained through interviews and the review of secondary sources as well as the participants’ posts in social networks. These tools will provide the researcher with the necessary data to analyze and interpret realities of a certain group of women.
References
Creswell, J. (2012). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Granero, R., Fernández-Aranda, F., Mestre-Bach, G., Steward, T., Baño, M., & Del Pino-Gutiérrez, A…Jiménez-Murcia, S. (2016). Compulsive buying behavior: Clinical comparison with other behavioral addictions. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. Web.
Müller, A., Claes, L., Georgiadou, E., Möllenkamp, M., Voth, E.M., & Faber, R.J… De Zwaan, M. (2014). Is compulsive buying related to materialism, depression or temperament? Findings from a sample of treatment-seeking patients with CB. Psychiatry Research, 216(1), 103-107.
Shahjehan, A., Qureshi, J.A., Zeb, F., & Saifullah, K. (2012). The effect of personality on impulsive and compulsive buying behaviors. African Journal of Business Management, 6(6), 2187-2194.