Chapter 5 Phenomenology as Method

1. Chapter 5Phenomenology as Method

2. Definitions • Focus: the lived experiences • First described by Immanuel Kant • Study of essences; finding definitions of essences • A philosophy that puts essences back into existence • A movement • A philosophy and method

3. Phenomenological Movement • 3 phases • Preparatory • German • French

4. Preparatory Phase • Key leaders: Brentano and Strumpf • Primary focus: clarification of intentionality • Consciousness always conscious of something

5. German Phase • Key leaders: Husserl and Heidegger • Phenomenology as the foundation for all philosophy and science • Key concepts: • Essences: elements of the true meaning • Intuiting: accurate interpretation leading to a common understanding • Phenomenological reduction: return to original awareness; bracketing

6. French Phase • Key leaders: Marcel, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty • Key concepts: • Embodiment • “Being-in-the-world” • Belief: all acts built on original awareness of some phenomenon

7. Question Tell whether the following statement is True or False: • Essences were a critical element of the French phase.

8. Answer False. The key concepts associated with the French phase include embodiment and “being-in-the-world.” Essences were a key concept of the German phase.

9. Six Core Elements • Descriptive phenomenology • Phenomenology of essences • Phenomenology of appearances • Constitutive phenomenology • Reductive phenomenology • Hermeneutic phenomenology

10. Descriptive Phenomenology • Stimulation of perception of lived experience; emphasis on richness, breadth, and depth of those experiences • 3-step process • Intuiting (total immersion) • Analyzing (essence identification) • Describing (communication of the critical elements of the phenomenon)

11. Phenomenology of Essences • Search for common themes (essences) • Free imaginative variation: study of concrete examples with systematic variation in the imagination • Probing leading to a sense for what is essential and what is accidental

12. Phenomenology of Appearances • Attention to the ways phenomena appear • Phenomenon unfolding through dwelling with the data

13. Constitutive Phenomenology • Studying phenomena as they become established in consciousness • Taking shape of phenomena from first impressions to full picture

14. Question Tell whether the following statement is True or False: • Descriptive phenomenology is involved with the search for common themes.

15. Answer False. Descriptive phenomenology is involved with stimulating perception of the lived experience with an emphasis on the richness, breadth, and depth of that experience. Phenomenology of essences focuses on the search for common themes.

16. Reductive Phenomenology • Concurrent throughout a phenomenological investigation • Personal biases, assumptions, and presuppositions set aside • Preservation of objectivity

17. Hermeneutic Philosophy • Philosophy of understanding a particular phenomenon and scientific interpretation • Bracketing of preconceptions or theories not necessary • Analysis = hermeneutic cycle (circular process) • 3 steps: • Naïve reading • Structural analysis (interpretive reading) • Interpretation of the whole

18. Five Phases of Hermeneutic Phenomenology • Early focus and lines of inquiry • Central concerns, exemplars, and paradigm • Shared meanings • Final interpretations • Dissemination of the interpretation

19. Phenomenology for Nursing Phenomena • Three questions to ask: • Need for further clarity of phenomenon? • Shared lived experience as the best data source? • Available resources, time frame, audience, and personal style with acceptance of ambiguity?

20. Question Naïve reading, structural analysis, and interpretation as a whole are steps associated with which of the following? • Reductive phenomenology • Constitutive phenomenology • Hermeneutic phenomenology • Phenomenology of appearances

21. Answer C. Hermeneutic phenomenology involves the three steps of naïve reading, structural analysis, and interpretation of the whole. Reductive phenomenology focuses on avoiding biases and presuppositions to allow for the purest of data. Constitutive phenomenology involves the taking shape of phenomena in one’s consciousness. Phenomenology of appearances gives attention to the ways phenomena unfold.

22. Topics Appropriate for Phenomenological Research • Human life experiences • Happiness, fear • Being there; commitment • Being a chairperson/head nurse • Meaning of stress for students • Health-related topics • Meaning of pain • Living with chronic illness • End-of-life issues

23. Researcher’s Role • Five transformations • Experiences =>language • Seen and heard =>understanding of the original experience • Understanding => conceptual categories (essences of original experience) • Essences =>a written document • Written document =>understanding to clarify all preceding steps

24. Data Generation, Treatment, & Analysis • Purposive sampling • Preparation of participants before interviewing; informed consent with first interview • Open-ended interviewing until saturation • Data collection in conjunction with data analysis • Journaling; immersion in data • Capturing of essential relationships • Review of literature after data analysis

25. Data Trustworthiness & Authenticity • Consistent use of method • Bracketing prior knowledge • Return to participants to ensure exhaustive description of participants’ experiences • Request for negative descriptions • Audit trail (critical)

26. End of Presentation