The Method Q in the Psychological Evaluation: the family as an example

The method Q is not well known among researchers and therapists who are interested in the field of child and family psychology, despite the effectiveness of the instruments based on it, particularly those related to the marital and parental relationships. The quality of data which come from a method depends especially on its appropriateness to the questions we ask for answers and on our ability to select methodological strategies in a correct way. On the other hand, the last one depends mainly on the updated knowledge that we have from different methods and strategies. Therefore, the aim of this article is to describe the method Q in comparison to the method R, highlighting the Q-Sorts instruments. To illustrate its strengths and weaknesses we present data from the area of family psychology.