The Behavioral Scientist: Insider and Outsider

Abstract

A problem with respect to social action research is being sufficiently “outside” to be objective, and yet enough “inside” to understand the phenomena being studied. The issue of critical periods in development is used as an example of the problem, in terms of the tendency to be wedded to convenient theories, the difficulty in examining the bureaucratic‐institutional socialization process, the problem of avoiding conformity when one is an insider, and the general difficulty of incorporating research findings into social programming and policy decisions. Some suggestions are offered, including the potential role of SPSSI as an organization of “significant others” for the social researcher and the behavioral scientist.