The personal motif in naturalistic case study research: developing "innerstandings" in woman's compulsive behaviour.

The purpose of this article is to show case study research focused on persons as a case and our personal engagement with the case can improve our innerstandings and understanding of person-centred care. We present the methodology and epistemology of naturalistic case study research and illuminate this approach with the case study of Ellen, a young, Dutch, white-middle class woman with a compulsive disorder. We combine naturalistic case study research with the personal narratives of those involved in the research, including ourselves, and interpreted through a feminist and gender lens.