Research in Relational Science

Introduction

Relational research is a relatively new concept and differs from traditional human research (Halverson 1995). Relational research is the process of studying the reciprocity between various individuals or groups within a system for the purpose of understanding relational dynamics within systems. Historically, research with human subjects has targeted individuals in the context of various environments, such as individual behavior and perceptions in family and couple relationships, in schools, and in the workplace. Only recently has relational research come to the foreground of human subject research. Because of the ever-changing nature of societies, communities, families, and individuals, studying relationships can be extremely challenging. Most relational research tends to focus on individual observations, perceptions, and opinions, rather than on the relational unit itself. Child surveys tend to focus on perceptions their parents have of them; dyadic and family research...