This is a reflection about the methodological circumstances that led the au
thor to certain unexpected information during the course of a qualitative a
pproach to the perception of health problems of a group of poor families in
the south of Mexico City. Special attention is paid to the influence of th
e research team composition (four women with different professional backgro
unds, ages, marital statuses, and styles of personal interaction) and the p
sychoanalytic technique that influenced the study. The inclusion of people
of different ages, professions, and personality traits proved extremely val
uable both as a means of widening the possibilities for empathetic relation
s between the research group and the population studied and for increasing
the shades of measuring that the team was able to capture.