Hermeneutic Phenomenology: An Approach to Understanding Families Catherine A. Chesla J FAM NURS 1995; 1;63

Piantanida, M. & Garman, N.B The qualitative dissertation (2 nd ed): A guide for students and faculty. pp 5-6 To begin orienting oneself, it is useful to consider several questions when reading an article or book about qualitative research: – When it was written? – From what disciplinary perspective is the author writing? – What method (or genre) of qualitative research is the author discussing ? – What philosophical assumptions underpin this author’s thinking?

When was it written? 1995

From what disciplinary perspective is the author writing? FAMILY LITERATURE To study family phenomenon and its processes (shared family meanings and family concerns) using an approach that ADMITS and EMBRACES qualities central to families – Humans are situated, – Humans are constituted – Humans are engaged – Humans are concerned AS IS THE RESEARCHER

What method (or genre) of qualitative research is the author discussing ? Requires reflexivity Theory and practice of interpretation and understanding that is coherent in different kinds of human contexts. Pre-understanding serves as basis Emphatic, curious, non- judgmental & open stance (like therapy minus solutions) Consistent, conceptual logical clarity that can be achieved by the subjective mind. Shared meanings are extremely problematic because things external to the mind must be represented to the internal mind by individual meaning- giving subject. Relies on brute data Discounts human interpretation Reality sought through objective, value-neutral stance The Cartesian separation of mind body and world precludes a truly shared notion of what the external world comprises. Hermeneutic Phenomenology RationalismEmpiricism

What philosophical assumptions underpin this author’s thinking? Is it EPISTEMOLOGY (assumptions on the nature of knowledge, the nature of truth, and the methods that generate legitimate claims of knowledge and truth)? Is it ONTOLOGY (assumptions of knowledge and truth)? Is it AXIOLOGY (what we value as reality, knowledge and truth)?