Part/Whole Morphology: Unifying Single Case and Comparative Methods

In this article, I describe the morphological method as a new stage of inquiry, between the first stage, qualitative methods, and the third, quantitative methods. The proposed second stage involves microscopic examination of single instances, and, if more than one instance is available, comparisons with each other. This method is particularly useful for the objective determination of meaning, a crucial problem for the human sciences. Because the determination of meaning is complex, yet taken for granted, I describe its intricacy. The new method also can be used to generate micro-macro theories, perhaps the next stage in the development of the human sciences. To form a bridge between qualitative and quantitative methods, which are increasingly separated, part/whole morphology can lead to research which is valid, reliable, and cost-efficient. Qualitative methods involve exploration, the first step in inquiry. Quantitative methods involve verification, the last step. Although preliminary exploration is usually necessary and always helpful, exploration requires verification. The weakness of verification alone is that since experiments and other standardized formats (such as the scale and the standardized interview) are narrow and rigid, one needs to have considerable knowledge before an adequate testing procedure can be designed. Qualitative methods are like wide-angled lenses with little depth; quantitative methods are as narrow as using the wrong end of a telescope. Furthermore, since verification is costly and time-consuming, only hypotheses and theories should be tested which are not only plausible, but are likely to be general and important. The procedure outlined here is more labourious than most qualitative studies, but it is also more cost-efficient than those which automatically seek verification. The approach outlined here can be seen as the next step after what Giddens (1984) has called ‘instantiation’. He asked for actual instances of the behaviour described by any theory. His call, in turn, can be seen as a reiteration of Max Weber's (1947) insistence that the task of sociology is to reduce concepts about society to ‘understandable action, that is, without exception, to the actions of participating individuals (persons).