Abstract
This chapter provides an insight into the origins and traditions of phenomenology as both philosophy and methodology. Emphasis is placed in the earlier parts of the chapter on the delineation between Husserl and Heidegger, the forefathers of the discipline, whose work into epistemology and ontology have fundamentally shaped contemporary qualitative research. Understanding the key concepts of epoché and the implications of the ‘self' within phenomenological research are explicated so that the reader can consider the practicalities of whether it is possible to suspend presupposition and epistemic bias, or whether the ‘self' is something that has simply to be acknowledged as having a fundamental relevance to what and how interpretation is undertaken and how this has a consequent and tangible impact on research findings. The latter part of the chapter gives an insight into interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) as one contemporary approach to the integration of phenomenological research methods.
TopHistorical Foundations Of Phenomenology
The original protagonist of phenomenology was the philosopher Husserl (1859-1938). Within Husserl’s version of phenomenology, rich thick description was used to describe lived experiences and to bracket off presupposition or assumptions about the potential findings – which is called epoché or bracketing (Smith, 2020). Belying this approach is the issue of the focus given to an individual phenomenon, and the concepts of perception, memory and the subjective emotions underpinning both are acknowledged as an integral part of the process (Teroni, 2017). This overall philosophy and approach to bracketing was later rejected by Heidegger (1889-1976), who returned instead of placing emphasis on epistemology or the way of knowing, to ontology, which places emphasis on the concept of ‘being’ and existence (McManus, 2014). He argued that it was impossible to separate oneself from a prior experience and that this was fundamental to consequential interpretation of experience (Feyerabend,1957). He did believe that interpretation of the world was still an integral part of understanding human existence and perceptions of it. This delineation between how we know (Husserl) and the nature of reality (Heidegger) has become central to published work around meaning making of the human experience (Crowell, 2013). Husserl’s work in contrast, focused on the differences between perceived and actual reality in terms of knowledge construction from experience (Van Mazijk, 2019).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Noema: Is an integral part of Husserlian philosophy, indicating the objective aspect of or the content within an intentional experience.
Essence: The essence is the basic nature of a thing and the qualities that define it.
Interpretive Phenomenology: Is the discipline which seeks to investigate or explore an individual's personal meaning or sense making of their experiences through the lens of interpretive inquiry.
Consciousness: Is an individual’s awareness or perception of something, as a sentient being.
Epoché: In Hellenistic philosophy, epoché is the technical term which refers to the suspension of judgment which facilitates the process of setting aside assumptions and beliefs.
Hermeneutic(s): The methodological and theoretical study of the process of interpretation.
Hermeneutic Circle: The process of understanding a text in relation to the individual parts of it, in relation to its contextual positioning amidst its whole being.
Heidegger: Martin Heidegger was a phenomenologist whose “existentialist” philosophy shaped philosophical thinking which rejected the concept of dualism between mind and body. His work shaped the language of how human consciousness, experience and the mind are understood and articulated.
Epistemology: Is the branch of philosophy which deals with ‘ways of knowing’, concerned with the ascertainment of knowledge, its nature, origin and scope and the epistemic justification of it.
Husserl: Edmund Husserl was the German philosopher, who established the earliest work in the discipline of Phenomenology, he is seen as the founding father of systematic logic based on the interrogation of intentionality.
Existentialist Phenomenology: Is the branch of philosophical inquiry which explores the problem of human existence via exploration of the lived experience of individuals and the thoughts, feelings and actions that underpin their existence. The concept of authenticity is central to the process.
Ontology: The branch of metaphysics which considers the concept of existence and the nature of being.