The complementarity of phenomenology, hermeneutics and existentialism as a philosophical perspective for nursing research

Abstract

The focus of this paper draws on the thinking of Husserl, Dilthey and Heidegger to identify elements of the phenomenological movement that can provide focus and direction for qualitative research in nursing. The authors interpret this tradition in two ways: emphasizing the possible complementarity of phenomenology, hermeneutics and existentialism, and demonstrating how these emphases ask for grounding, reflexivity and humanization in qualitative research. The paper shows that the themes of grounding, reflexivity and humanization are particularly important for nursing research.

Introduction

The broad tradition of the ‘phenomenological movement’ (Spiegelberg, 1971) has been the subject of intense interest by qualitative researchers searching for philosophical principles that can underpin their practice (Moustakas, 1990, Holstein and Gubrium, 1994). Topics such as meaning versus measurement, non-reductionism, the importance of situational context, and the understanding of lived experience have all been addressed by qualitatively-oriented researchers influenced by this tradition (Giorgi, 1970, Van Manen, 1990).

There remain many controversies within this philosophical tradition and about the extent to which philosophical principles can be utilized within the more pragmatic concerns of qualitative research (Hoeller, 1982–3, Schwandt, 1994). For example, in a recent paper Lawler criticized a certain fundamentalism concerning the methodological application of approaches based in hermeneutics and phenomenology. She argued that such a trend gives the mistaken impression that following the ‘right steps’ are more important than grasping the theoretical insights that the approach affords (Lawler, 1998).

In nursing, it could be argued that the articulation and description of ‘human experience’ as an ongoing endeavour is foundational to practice. As Anderson pointed out, nurses have been utilizing qualitative research methodologies since the 1960s, and in the 1970s a ‘cautious acceptance’ of phenomenology as an investigative process was a precursor to its widespread use in nursing research in the 1980s (Anderson, 1991). Further use and development of this approach took place in the 1990s (Beck, 1994). Wheeler traced the ‘continental’ philosophical underpinnings of phenomenology and, drawing on the work of Spiegelberg, 1971, Cohen, 1987, Cohen and Omery, 1994, highlighted the phases of the movement and schools of phenomenology that differently focus on description, interpretation, and their combination (Wheeler, 1996).

Debates such as ‘method slurring’ in grounded theory and phenomenology (Baker et al., 1992) and being consistent in the use of method to maximize academic rigour (Rose et al., 1995) contribute to a growing body of knowledge in this field. Tina Koch has made particular contributions to this style of research from ‘decision trail’ rigour, as a progression of Sandelowski’s early work and the work of Guba and Lincoln (Sandelowski, 1981; Guba and Lincoln, 1981, Guba and Lincoln, 1985, Guba and Lincoln, 1989), to the influence of Husserl and Heidegger in interpretive approaches (Koch, 1994, Koch, 1995). She argued that nurse researchers should address three key areas in interpretive approaches: philosophy, rigour and representation (Koch, 1996). In this she particularly focused attention on hermeneutic inquiry and the work of Gadamer. Recently, Geanellos (1998), drawing mainly on the work of Gadamer, highlighted hermeneutics as a philosophy of understanding and interpretation that involves both the interpretation of the text as well as self-interpretation. Geanellos argued that, for nursing research, essential hermeneutic issues are often not addressed. A key omission concerns identifying, examining and challenging pre-understandings: that is, the researcher’s presuppositions, forestructures, preconceptions and prejudices.

The present paper acknowledges the value of such hermeneutic reflexivity but would like to offer an interpretation of this broad tradition that highlights the complementary aspects of phenomenology, hermeneutics and existentialism. It will show that such a sensibility, while not denying the important distinctions and deviations in these movements, provides a plurality of concerns that could be helpful in informing qualitative research in nursing. As such, the focus of this paper draws on some of the thinking of Husserl, Dilthey and Heidegger in order to provide a broad overview of how various elements of the phenomenological movement can be interpreted in a conceptually coherent way. This interpretation has engaged the authors in a creative tension between the ‘broad church’ of phenomenological philosophy and a more pragmatic interest in qualitative research. They believe that the movement from pure phenomenology into existential phenomenology and hermeneutics provides a fertile direction for qualitative research in nursing. In this sense it is possible to be coherent without being purist. The authors have thus attempted to use the phenomenological tradition to answer the question: what philosophical distinctions regarding our approach to ‘human experience’ need to be incorporated when engaged in practical research? These philosophical distinctions can be broadly approached in three areas and will be dealt with under the following headings:

• Grounding: the ‘life-world’ as starting point

• Reflexivity and positional knowledge: a hermeneutic turn

• Humanization and the language of experience: the existential move.

In highlighting these three emphases, phenomenology, existentialism, and hermeneutics can be regarded as a ‘family’ which contributes essential insights towards forming a consistent hermeneutic phenomenology as a qualitative research approach for nursing and other professions.

This paper thus interprets this tradition in such a way as to:

• emphasize the possible complementarity of phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism

• demonstrate how together they ask for grounding, reflexivity, and humanization in our qualitative research endeavours

• argue that these three themes are particularly important for nursing research.