In the name of Husserl: nursing in pursuit of the things‐in‐themselves

Abstract

A perceived contradiction between the tenets of humanism and positivism secures phenomenology's endorsement in nursing as an alternative methodology to the natural sciences. Nursing's humanistic doctrine of valuing the individual is aligned with phenomenology in the belief that both projects investigate the subjective experiences of others. However, the belief that phenomenology opposes objectifying methods does not account for the different understandings of subjectivity that underpin various philosophic positions, such as humanism, phenomenology, hermeneutics and positivism. What is not recognised in nursing inquiry is that the same characteristics which belong to humanism and are subsequently attributed as belonging to phenomenology are grounded, philosophically, in a view that separates the person from her world. But rather than examining the premises on which phenomenology and humanism are based, nurse-phenomenologists have simply yoked them together in a mutual alliance against a common enemy--Cartesian dualism. This paper focuses on Husserl and argues that the conceptual link between nursing as a humanistic discipline and Husserlian phenomenology cannot be sustained on philosophic and methodologic grounds. Far from being mutual allies, the philosophic underpinnings of humanism and Husserlian phenomenology offer two incommensurable views on the nature of subjectivity.

Domesticating Paley: how we misread Paley (and phenomenology)

“…Not that aspects of his argument have not been heard (almost all authors acknowledged Paley's criticisms of the misuse of philosophical concepts), but interestingly, only one paper (Earle, ) mentioned his recommendation to dissociate current research practice from its supposed Husserlian and Heideggerian underpinnings. Yegdich (), in her independent evaluation of nurse phenomenologists' (mis)appropriation of Husserl, has corroborated several of Paley's points.…”

Illuminating the essential elements of the role of the clinical placement co‐ordinator: a phenomenological inquiry

“…Crotty here anticipates one of the enduring criticisms of ‘nursing phenomenology’: its preoccupation with gathering the unchallenged subjective accounts of uncritical respondents (McNamara 2005). Commentators such as Paley (1997, 1998) and Yegdich (2000) have noted the twin failure of many phenomenological researchers: first, to assist their respondents in setting aside their preconceived notions and biases about the phenomenon of interest and, second, to facilitate them to interrogate and problematize their accounts of this phenomenon.…”

Gaining perspective: Peer mentors’ experiences with an intervention project for mothers with postpartum depression

“…In the first step the data were collected and transcribed by the primary investigator who kept a reflexive journal for bracketing thoughts on the peer mentors' experiences. Bracketing is a means of putting assumptions into abeyance [23] or clearing the mind of previous experience to deliberately examine the researcher's own beliefs and assumptions. [24] The reflexive journal was used to keep separate the primary investigator's thoughts about her experience as a peer mentor from the experiences of the women she interviewed.…”