A COMMENT ON DISGUISED OBSERVATION IN SOCIOLOGY.

The article discusses the pros and cons of disguised participant observation as a research technique in the field of sociology. Firstly it is unethical for a sociologist to deliberately misrepresent his identity for the purpose of entering a private domain to which he is not otherwise eligible and secondly it is unethical for a sociologist to deliberately misrepresent the character of the research in which he is engaged. But disguises have the effect of establishing a stable point of reference in an otherwise hazy territory. If observations discovers that a substantial number of sociologists are uncomfortable about the practice, then those who continue to employ it will at least know where they stand in respect to the collective conscience of their discipline, and if observations state that only a scattering of sociologists are concerned about the matter, people will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that the profession as a profession has accepted the responsibility of knowing its own mind.