Q METHODOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION:
Theory and Application
British physicist-psychologist William Stephenson
(1902-1989) died a year ago, and doubtless his most
significant bequest to science is Q methodology, a body of
philosophy and theory concerning human subjectivity, and
including a set of procedures (Q sorting, factor analysis)
designed to provide evidence for conjectures in the
subjective domain. The field of communication was recipient
of a generous portion of Stephenson's thinking, his most
notable contribution being THE PLAY THEORY OF MASS
COMMUNICATION (University of Chicago Press, 1967;
Transaction Books, 1988), which Wilbur Schramm praised and
which John Rowan, in his THE STRUCTURED CROWD, placed on par
with the works of McLuhan, Ellul, and Marcuse. We are
therefore pleased that the ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF
COMMUNICATION/LA REVUE ELECTRONIQUE DE COMMUNICATION has
commissioned its premier issue to address the applicability
of Q methodology to communication.
The contributions to this issue display great variety:
Bruce McKeown summarizes Q methodology's underlying
scientific basis, tying it to hermeneutics. He also
provides an overview of the technicalities of Q
methodology, which subsequent authors take for granted;
readers whose memories may require freshening with
respect to Q sorting, correlation, and factor analysis
are therefore urged to read this paper before the
others.
Irvin Goldman provides an overview of certain
epistemological principles of Q methodology, illustrated
by a single-case study of culture based on Lasch's
theory of narcissism.
Keith P. Sanders and Daniel N. Morris demonstrate the
fruitful use of Q methodology in an oral-history study
of contributors to a 1930s proletarian literary
magazine.
Steven R. Brown and Margaret Mathieson demonstrate the
applicability of Q to I.A. Richards' principles of
practical criticism, illustrated in terms of poetic
interpretation.
Rex and Wendy Stainton Rogers posit a special British
understanding of Q methodology, rooted in social
constructionism and illustrated in a study of addiction.
The diversity of these papers provides a mere peephole
into the breadth of Stephenson's thought, which has ranged
from Newton's fifth rule to quantum theory, from
psychoanalysis to corporate decisionmaking, from advertising
soap to the amelioration of international tensions, and much
more. Readers interested in pursuing these matters further
should consult OPERANT SUBJECTIVITY: THE Q METHODOLOGY
NEWSLETTER (Vol. 14, 1990-1991), the back index to which is
maintained by Comserve; and/or attend the annual meetings of
the International Society for the Scientific Study of
Subjectivity ("Q Conference") at the University of Missouri,
this year's being scheduled for October 25-27.
LA METHODE Q ET LA COMMUNICATION
Theorie et analyses
Le medecin et psychologue britannique William
Stephenson (1902-1989) est mort il y a un an. La Methode Q
demeure sans doute son plus important legs scientifique. Il
s'agit d'un corpus theorique et philosophique relatif a la
subjectivite humaine. Cet ensemble comprend des techniques
(les groupes Q, l'analyse des facteurs) capables de
permettre l'interpretation du domaine subjectif. Les etudes
en communication ont amplement profite de la pensee de
Stephenson. On retiendra surtout THE PLAY THEORY OF MASS
COMMUNICATION (Presses de l'Universite de Chicago, 1967;
Transactions Books, 1988), un ouvrage apprecie par Wilburt
Schramm et John Rowan. Dans THE STRUCTURED CROWD, ce
dernier le range aux cotes de McLuhan, Ellul et Marcuse.
Nous sommes donc heureux que la REVUE ELECTRONIQUE DE
COMMUNICATION nous ait confie comme mission de realiser son
premier numero en discutant de l'application de la Methode Q
a la communication.
On trouvera dans ce numero une bonne variete
d'approches.
Bruce McKeown resume les bases scientifiques de la
methode Q en les reliant a l'hermeneutique. Il nous
propose aussi un survol des techniques de la Methode Q,
techniques prises pour acquis par les auteurs qui
suivent. Les lecteurs qui cherchent un rappel des
techniques de formation des groupes Q, de correlation et
d'analyse des facteurs y trouveront une matiere utile
pour la lecture des textes qui suivent.
Irvin Goldman presente un resume des principes
epistemologiques de la Methode Q et il les illustre par
une etude culturelle a cas unique sur la base de la
theorie du narcissisme de Lasch.
Keith P. Sanders et Daniel N. Morris nous montrent un
emploi utile de la Methode Q dans le cas de l'histoire
orale de certains collaborateurs d'un magazine
litteraire proletarien des annees 1930.
Steven R. Brown et Margaret Mathieson demontent que la
Methode Q s'applique aux principes de la critique
empirique de I.A. Richard et ils l'illustrent avec la
cas de l'interpretation poetique.
Rex et Wendy Stainton Rogers nous montrent une vision
britannique particuliere de la Methode Q, une vision
enracinee dans le constructionisme social et illustree
par une etude de l'intoxication.
Cette diversite ne fait que fournir un apercu de
l'ampleur de la pensee de Stephenson. Celle-ci a tour a
tour considere la cinquieme loi de Newton et la theorie
quantique, la psychanalyse et le processus de decision dans
les entreprises, la publicite pour les savons et les moyens
de reduire les tensions internationales. Les lecteurs
interesses a approfondir ces questions pourront consulter
OPERANT SUBJECTIVITY: THE Q METHODOLOGY NEWSLETTER (vol.
14, 1990-1991) dont on trouve l'index chez le serveur
Comserve. On pourra aussi participer a l'assemblee annuelle
de l'International Society for the Scientific Study of
Subjectivity ("Q Conference") a l'Universite du Missouri, du
25 au 27 octobre de cette annee.
Irvin Goldman
Steven R. Brown
Issue Co-Editors
Copyright 1990
Communication Institute for Online Scholarship, Inc.
CIOS Support Staff
support@cios.org
