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without bias ( objectivism ). Conversely, interpretivists advocate a subjectivist stance that argues that reality is socially constructed. An interpretivist researcher captures and describes the ‘lived experience’ ( erlebnis ) of the participant within the social context of the research topic. This makes the resulting understanding more personal and subject to the interpretation of the observer (Andrade, 2009; Koch, 1995; Mertens, 2005; Wu & Chen, 2005). In this study, the researcher has adopted an interpretive lens. The distinction between positivism and interpretivism should not be described as dichotomous, or one of polar opposites; this is a somewhat artificial and simplistic view when it comes to real research. There are a number of other ‘-isms’ that fall on the spectrum between the two: empiricism, realism, relativism, social constructionism, idealism and postmodernism. In any event, it is a false dichotomy concerning the nature of social reality (Kura, 2012). For example, to understand and to capture the diversity and complexity of remote generalist nurses delivering mental healthcare, many sources of data might be accessed from both quantitative and qualitative sources. Different types of data have complementary uses in the study. Hence, in Chapter 2, much emphasis was placed on statistically examining the data concerning the background to the study. 4.2.2 Axiology The word ‘axiology’ derives from Greek axiā , which translates to ‘value, worth’. Accordingly, axiology concerns the role of a researcher’s values in the scientific process. Positivists eliminate any place for values in the research process, and hence a researcher’s ‘values, hopes, expectations, and feelings have no place in scientific inquiry’ (Ponterotto, 2005, p. 131). Interpretivists argue that a researcher’s values and lived experience ( erlebnis ) are inextricably entwined in the research process. They acknowledge, describe