Abstract
This paper presents a feminist and community psychology analysis of ethical concerns that can arise throughout the process of doing research with women who are homeless. The unique contexts of the lives of women who are homeless demand that researchers redefine traditional ethical constructs such as consent, privacy, harm, and bias. Research that fails to do this may perpetuate the stereotyping, marginalization, stigmatization, and victimization homeless women face. Feminist and community research ethics must go beyond the avoidance of harm to an active investment in the well-being of marginalized individuals and communities. Using feminist and community psychology ethics, this paper addresses some common problems in research with women who are homeless, and argues for the transformation of research from a tool for the advancement of science into a strategy for the empowerment of homeless women and their communities.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
American Psychological Association. (1992). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 47(12), 1597–1611.
Banyard, V. (1995). ''Taking another route'': Daily survival narratives from mothers who are homeless. American Journal of Community Psychology, 23(6), 871–891.
Baxter, S. (1991). Under the viaduct: Homeless in beautiful B.C. Vancouver: New Star.
Bond, M. (1990). Defining the relationship: Maximizing participation in an unequal world. In P. Tolan, C. Keys, F. Chertok, & L. Jason, (Eds.), Researching community psychology (pp. 183–187). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Breton, M., & Bunston, T. (1992). Physical and sexual violence in the lives of homeless women. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 11(1), 29–44.
Canadian Psychological Association. (1991). Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists.
Chavis, D., Stucky, P., & Wandersman, A. (1983). Returning basic research to the community: A relationship between scientist and citizen. American Psychologist, 38(4), 424–434.
Condor, S. (1991). Sexism in psychological research: A brief note. Feminism and Psychology, 1(1), 430–434.
D'Ercole, A., & Streuning, E. (1990). Victimization among homeless women: Implications for service delivery. Journal of Community Psychology, 18(2), 141–152.
Farge, B. (1989). Homeless women and freedom of choice. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 8(1), 135–145.
Fawcett, S. (1990). Some emerging standards for community research and action: Aid from a behavioral perspective. In P. Tolan, C. Keys, F. Chertok, & L. Jason, (Eds.), Researching community psychology (pp. 64–75). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Fine, M. (1992). Disruptive voices: The possibilities of feminist research. Ann Arbor. University of Michigan Press.
Fine, M., & Gordon, S. M. (1991). Effacing the center and the margins: Life at the intersection of psychology and feminism. Feminism & Psychology, 1(1), 19–27.
Goodman, L. (1991). The prevalence of abuse among homeless and housed poor mothers: A comparison study. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 61(4), 489–500.
Goodman, L., Saxe, L., & Harvey, M. (1991). Homelessness as psychological trauma: Broadening perspectives. American Psychologist, 46(11), 1219–1225.
Grossman, F., Gilbert, L., Genero, N., Hawes, S., Hyde, J., & Marecek, J. (1997). Feminist research: Practice and problems. In J. Worrell & N. Johnson (Eds.), Shaping the future of feminist psychology: Education, research and practice (pp. 73–91). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Herman, J. (1992). Trauma and recovery. New York: Harper Collins.
hooks, b. (1984). Feminist theory from margin to center. Boston: South End Press.
Koegel, P. (1992). Through a different lens: An anthropological perspective on the homeless mentally ill. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 16(1), 1–22.
Landrine, H., Klonoff, E., & Brown-Collins, A. (1995). Cultural diversity and methodology in feminist psychology: Critique, proposal, empirical example. In H. Landrine (Ed.), Bringing cultural diversity to feminist psychology: Theory, research, practice (pp. 55–75). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Liebow, E. (1993). Tell them who I am: The lives of homeless women. New York: Free Press.
Milburn, N., & D'Ercole, A. (1991). Homeless women: Moving toward a comprehensive model. American Psychologist, 46(11), 1161–1169.
Montgomery, C. (1994). Swimming upstream: The strengths of women who survive homelessness. Advances in Nursing Science, 16(3), 34–45.
Mulvey, A. (1988). Community psychology and feminism:Tensions and commonalities. Journal of Community Psychology, 16, 70–83.
Oakley, A. (1981). Interviewing women: A contradiction in terms. In H. Roberts (Ed.), Doing feminist research (pp. 30–61). London: Routledge and Keegan Paul.
O'Neill, P. (1989). Responsible to whom? Responsible for what? Some ethical issues in community intervention. American Journal of Community Psychology, 17(3), 323–341.
Peplau, L. A., & Conrad, E. (1989). Beyond nonsexist research: The perils of feminist methods in psychology. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 13, 379–400.
Provincial Task Force on Homelessness. (1998). Report of the Provincial Task Force on Homelessness. Toronto, ON: Government of Ontario.
Ralston, M. (1996). ''Nobody wants to hear our truth'': Homeless women and theories of the welfare state. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Rappaport, J. (1990). Research methods and the social empowerment agenda. In P. Tolan, C. Keys, F. Chertok, & L. Jason (Eds.), Researching community psychology (pp. 51–62). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Rosenthal, R. (1991). Straighter from the source: Alternative methods of researching homelessness. Urban Anthropology, 20(2), 109–123.
Rosewater, L. (1985). Schizophrenic, borderline, or battered? In L. Rosewater & L. Walker (Eds.), Handbook of feminist therapy: Women's issues in psychotherapy (pp. 215–225). New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Serrano-Garcia, I. (1990). Implementing research: Putting our values to work. In P. Tolan, C. Keys, F. Chertok, & L. Jason (Eds.), Researching community psychology (pp. 171–182). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Shinn, M. (1997). Family homelessness: State or trait? American Journal of Community Psychology, 25(6), 755–769.
Shinn, M., & Weitzman, B. (1990). Research on homelessness: An introduction. Journal of Social Issues, 46(4), 1–11.
Schram, D., & Giovengo, M. (1991). Evaluation of Threshold: An independent living program for homeless adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 12(7), 567–572.
Unger, J., Kipke, M., Simon, T., Montgomery, S., & Johnson, C. (1997). Homeless youths and young adults in Los Angeles: Prevalence of mental health problems and the relationship between mental health and substance use disorders. American Journal of Community Psychology, 25(3), 371–394.
Walsh, R. (1989). Do research reports in mainstream feminist journals reflect feminist values? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 13, 433–444.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Paradis, E.K. Feminist and Community Psychology Ethics in Research with Homeless Women. Am J Community Psychol 28, 839–858 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005115901078
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005115901078