The goal of qualitative research methods is rigorous, systematic description of experience. They are most appropriate when the focus of the research is subjective experience and meaning. They depend strongly on context and are highly interactive. The specifics of qualitative research are more open than other types of psychological research methods. Many types of qualitative methods are being used. These are three examples.

A. IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS, HERMENEUTIC ANALYSIS and NATURALISTIC INQUIRY: primarily use open-ended interviews, minimal direction from interviewer, similar to client-centered interview, analysis of meaning-units into higher-order categories and themes.

B. PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION: researcher is in both roles, describes own experience in context

C. ETHNOGRAPHY: description of an intact culture's lifeways; may include subcultures (e.g., teenage drug users, gang members, meditation group, hospitalized children); uses a wider variety of data collection, e.g., observations, interviews, collection of artifacts