Goffman Case Summary

I was perplexed when I initially ready the Goffman case study. This was primarily due to the active role that the researcher took in helping the young men involved in her study when they sought vengeance for the death of their friend. Alice Goffman went on to publish that “she wanted Chuck’s killer to die” and justified taking an active role in searching for his killer as a method to further understanding her research subjects (Hesse-Biber, 2017, p. 87).

In my opinion, the aforementioned action by Goffman during her research was unethical. Furthermore, this action also has critical implications on the perceived moral integrity of Goffman, which is then inferred to the entirety of the research project. This direct interjection of the “researcher”
into the research setting thereby affected the trustworthiness and validity of the study’s findings. This is brought to light by understanding the hypothesis raised by in Goffman’s study. This hypothesis would stipulate that the criminal justice system has had an impact on the lives of these young men. Where this hypothesis may have very well been tested and clarified by Goffman had she remained alert to ethical issues as they arose throughout the research process. To some extent the previous research hypothesis becomes null by Goffman’s actions. I make this claim by assuming that “Goffman” had not previously interacted with the criminal justice system. Yet she was participating in some of the same activities that these young men had.