Anselm Strauss

Strauss and Glaser developed the method through research on illness, dying, and professional work. They presented it systematically in The Discovery of Grounded Theory in 1967, arguing that researchers could build concepts through disciplined analysis of data.

Constant comparison means repeatedly comparing incidents, interviews, observations, and emerging categories throughout a study. The researcher uses similarities and differences to refine concepts instead of postponing all analysis until data collection has ended.

Glaser and Strauss later disagreed about how structured the method should become. Strauss and Juliet Corbin offered more explicit coding procedures, while Glaser argued that excessive procedural rules could force categories onto the data.

Strauss studied how patients, families, nurses, and physicians coordinate work around chronic illness and dying. Awareness of Dying, written with Barney Glaser, examined how interaction changes depending on who knows that a patient is dying.