Part of the PhD journey is to propose, create, and complete a dissertation project. Most doctoral students go through the journey of what type of research they want to do for their dissertation: quantitative, qualitative, mixed method, etc. The confident or knowing few know exactly which route they are taking early in their graduate school work. I envy them! I was in the majority, often pondering, consulting, feeling unsure, and ultimately ending up choosing one then switching to the other mid-way in my third year (this is probably not all that common) in any doctoral or graduate program.
While working on the literature review on the consensual nonmonogmous relationships, I came across studies that were informative, and at the same time, somewhat skin deep. They noted on the trends, statistics, and made inferences on the potential association between this and that variable. However, they did not offer further insights or explore how’s or why’s of the individuals. Of course, they had a large participant pool, so the results were frequently (and “evidently” or “factually”) illuminating and these outcomes provided data for perhaps generalization and future research direction.
My consensual nonmonogamous (CNM) relationship dissertation project is qualitative. I am interested in learning about the deeper meanings and themes generated from the participants who are middle-aged gay men who have been in the CNM or open relationships for at least one year. My project involves interviewing participants for 45 – 90 min, exploring lived experiences and personal stories, and identifying implicit or explicit ideas within the data collected. I also hope to destigmatize and shed more light on CNM between cisgendered gay men in their 40’s and 50’s (contributing to queer and LGBTQIA+ research), because most research studies I have reviewed tend to overlook this particular demographic and/or population.
Please help spread the word on my CNM dissertation project to those you know may be interested in participating or knowing more. I am still looking to recruit and interview eligible gay male participants. Because I know most would be hesitant to reach out, I also look forward to answering your questions regarding the project and connecting with you. I appreciate your checking out my website, and your time reading my posts, always.
