The management of ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ complaint sequences in research interviews

Abstract

Complaining as a conversational activity has been the topic of much recent research. However, no studies have been found which address the formulation and management of complaint sequences in research interviews. This article focuses on how complaint sequences are produced and managed by speakers within the socially situated setting of the research interview. Transcripts are drawn from data collected during a three-year study examining the work of itinerant primary music teachers. Complaint sequences examined here are derived from the pilot study phase of the project in which 12 practicing teachers were interviewed at length in 1996 by the researcher (who is also a music teacher). Analysis of interview accounts follows conversation analytic procedures and encompasses talk of the interviewer and interviewee. Using Sacks's (1992) notion of 'safe' and 'unsafe' complaints, four complaint sequences are used to examine (a) the management of unsafe complaints; (b) the reformulation of an initial 'unsafe' complaint into a 'safe' complaint; and (c) the formulation and management of a 'safe' complaint. Findings from this analysis indicate that for participants of research interviews in which the researcher shares co-categorial incumbency, the production of complaint sequences may be 'risky business'. This contrasts with findings from other studies which suggest that in conversational settings, complaining accomplishes a rapport building function.