This autobiographical analysis of the many difficult issues, dilemmas, choices, and adjustments involved in becoming a social scientist highlights the strengths and limitations of two principal research methods: survey research and participant observation.

Preface, The Author, 1. Encountering the World of Sociology, 2. The Ritual of Survey Empiricism, 3. Dilemmas of Participant Observation, 4. The Stress of Detached Fieldwork, 5. Reclaiming Self-Awareness as a Source of Insight, 6. Analysis of the Team Fieldwork Experience, 7. Dimensions of an Experiential Sociological Method, 8. The Integration of Person, Problem, and Method, References, Name Index, Subject Index