Lived fictions: moving from pharmacology to ethnography
Drug and Alcohol Review October 1, 1993 DOI: 10.1080/09595239300185521 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 4 |
| Key points | Argues that positivist and constructivist paradigms of inquiry generate different types of information about drug and alcohol use, and that researchers' movement between paradigms is difficult and seldom documented. Contends that multidisciplinary research would benefit from evaluating the processes by which information from both paradigms is interpreted and integrated, illustrated through a multidisciplinary investigation of MDMA pharmacology and use. |
Abstract
While positivist science dominates the drug and alcohol research sector, alternative constructivist paradigms of inquiry into drug and alcohol use are also present. The passage of individual researchers through paradigm shifts is often difficult, and rarely documented. Different paradigms of inquiry produce different types of information. The use of the psychoactive drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "Ecstasy") is discussed in light of a multidisciplinary investigation into the pharmacology and use of MDMA. The role of the author in interpreting data from both positivist and constructivist paradigms is highlighted by documenting a researchers' changes in epistemology whilst undertaking multidisciplinary research. It is concluded that multidisciplinary research into drug and alcohol use could benefit from evaluation of the processes that frame how information from both research paradigms is interpreted and integrated.