Abstract
Emotionally demanding research (EDR) is a branch of qualitative inquiry that heavily draws from researchers’ psychological, emotional, and physical resources. EDR researchers have acknowledged diverse experiences and effects of EDR, including compassion fatigue, interpersonal tensions, and ill-being but there remains restricted, empirical understanding of how researchers perceive their relationship with EDR. Building on Kumar and Cavallaro’s (2018) model of researcher self-care in EDR, we explored how expert qualitative researchers encountered both the positive and the negative experiences and effects throughout their entire EDR journeys. Interview data were analyzed using a holistic form of structural analysis. Researchers narrated their EDR journeys through a “quest” typology. We interpreted this quest through the metaphor of war with the researchers facing distinct battles in the pre-data collection, data collection, and post-data collection phases. Theoretical reflections are posed in relation to existential-humanism, relational-cultural theory, and researcher self-care. Practical and method implications are also offered.
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