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Taking phenomenology beyond the first-person perspective: conceptual grounding in the collection and analysis of observational evidence

M. Klinke, A. Fernandez

Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences January 9, 2022 DOI: 10.1007/s11097-021-09796-1 (opens in new tab)

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Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Qualitative Peer reviewed
Topics Philosophy of mind
Key points Proposes a phenomenologically grounded observational method for studying people who cannot accurately reflect on or report their experiences, illustrated with hemispatial neglect, and argues it can be applied more broadly to complex illness experiences and other experiential alterations.

Abstract

Phenomenology has been adapted for use in qualitative health research, where it’s often used as a method for conducting interviews and analyzing interview data. But how can phenomenologists study subjects who cannot accurately reflect upon or report their own experiences, for instance, because of a psychiatric or neurological disorder? For conditions like these, qualitative researchers may gain more insight by conducting observational studies in lieu of, or in conjunction with, interviews. In this article, we introduce a phenomenological approach to conducting this kind of observational research. The approach relies on conceptual grounding to focus a study on specific aspects of the participants’ experiences. Moreover, the approach maintains the openness to novel discoveries that qualitative research requires while also providing a structured framework for data collection and analysis. To illustrate its practical application, we use examples of hemispatial neglect—a neurologic disorder in which patients characteristically lack awareness of their own illness and bodily capacities. However, the approach that we describe can be applied more broadly to the study of complex illness experiences and other experiential alterations.

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