To avoid reactivity and to gain entry into otherwise forbidden settings, the researcher may have to work in an unobtrusive way, that is, operate without informing the actors of his or research role.
Again, as summarized by Becker, if the observer works undisclosed, “participating as a full-fledged member of the group, he will be privy to knowledge that would normally be shared by such a member and might be hidden from an outsider. He could properly interpret his own experiences as that of a hypothetical typical group member.”