Relationship Analysis: Proposals for Analysing Relationship Dynamics in Focus Groups

When carrying out research, the analysis of data collected from focus groups is often assimilated into the analysis of data from individual interviews. By making this choice, we risk losing sight of the main characteristics of the information gained from focus groups, and in particular, its relational and dialogical dimensions. In fact, it is almost impossible to talk about data derived from focus groups without considering what lies at the very root of this tool, that is, the dialogue between the social actors, the processes involved in the collective construction of assertions and the negotiation of meanings. In this case, I present a proposal for the relationship analysis of information and, through the use of social psychology and sociograms, aim to show how it is possible to carry out an analysis of the interaction and of individual and group behaviour that underlines the predominantly social character of data collected using focus group techniques.