From Husserl to van Manen. A review of different phenomenological approaches

Abstract

This paper traces the development of phenomenology as a philosophy originating from the writings of Husserl to its use in phenomenological research and theory development in nursing. The key issues of phenomenological reduction and bracketing are also discussed as they play a pivotal role in the how phenomenological research studies are approached. What has become to be known as "new" phenomenology is also explored and the key differences between it and "traditional" phenomenology are discussed. van Manen's phenomenology is also considered in light of its contemporary popularity among nurse researchers.

The Hermeneutic Circle Helps to Accumulate Knowledge and Understanding: An Empirical Example of Public Health Nurses’ Experiences of Supporting Multiple-birth Families

“…It means holistic understanding of human beings and giving prominence to the modalities and lifeworld concepts. The four fundamental concepts of the lifeworld based on Merleau-Ponty's ideas-lived space (spatiality), lived body (corporeality), lived time (temporality), lived human relation (relationality or communality) and lived things and objects (materiality) [28]-are important for phenomenological questioning, reflection, and writing in the research process [1,10,27,28]. Modalities are productive categories enabling reflecting, questioning and writing [1,25].…”

“…She states that the radicality, complexity and discipline of the phenomenological attitude as a whole can be completely missed, especially by novice researchers. [21] also observe that researchers make no reference to some of the fundamental methodological keywords such as reduction and bracketing, using these terms synonymously or the same concept in different ways without distinguishing their specific meanings [10] presents an extensive review of different phenomenological approaches, also discussing reduction. [23] strives through the lens of Merleau-Ponty and [11] to explore differences among the descriptions of the phenomenological method by philosophers.…”

experience of preoperative patient education for women preparing for and recovering from total knee replacement

“…Health services research is increasingly embracing hermeneutics and recognizing that patient accounts of experiences in care can reflect hidden experience (Mackey, 2005). Merlau-Ponty expanded upon both Husserl and Heidegger to focus upon categorizing experience in discovering time, space, body, and relations (Dowling, 2007). Sartre focused upon the existence of self, which agrees with Mead's reification of self.…”

“…Sartre focused upon the existence of self, which agrees with Mead's reification of self. Van Manen suggested expanding rational inquiry to include an imaginative process where verification of theme occurs through elaboration (Dowling, 2007). Smith et al (2009) suggested that the "particular," or the individual experience, is recognizable in IPA because information is gathered and interpreted at the level of the person as opposed to being generalized at a group or population level.…”

“…Therefore, data analysis requires a researcher to "bracket off" personal conceptions. Personal conceptions may introduce bias and influence the interpretation of participant experiences (Biggerstaff & Thompson, 2008;Dowling, 2007). This research explored the experiences of patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery with preoperative education and their resulting sense of empowerment.…”