... insider viewpoint usually falls into the category of 'inner experiences'. To gain access to these experiences, the individual concerned must be able to explain them to the researcher and put them into words - interviews and questionnaires are common methods when operating from an insider viewpoint. As we will see later it is also possible to take an individual's inner experiences and look at them in a more distant way - using an outsider viewpoint. Taking an outsider viewpoint means looking at the subject from 'outside' - this approach is not concerned with the inner experiences of a particular individual. When taking this approach the aim is to be objective. This viewpoint favours data obtained from experiments (termed material data) and observations of behaviour. The outsider viewpoint is seen from the researcher's point of view, rather than that of the participant (Phoenix and Thomas, 2002). When considering research into identity, both ...

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