Hermeneutical phenomenology aims to interpret the meaning of lived experiences through description and symbolism. It was influenced by philosophers like Augustine, Luther, Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Husserl, and Sartre. Key aspects include interpreting experiences through the author's intentions, understanding parts in relation to the whole, and recognizing experiences are situated within broader contexts. Hermeneutic phenomenology is well-suited for social work research due to its focus on application, emphasis on social construction, and ability to link individual experiences to larger structures.
2. What is Hermeneutical Phenomenology?
Transcendental phenomenology is based on
discovering the objective universal essences of lived
experiences and communicating them through pure
description.
Hermeneutics is the tradition, theory, philosophy, and
practice of interpretation.
Hermeneutical Phenomenology is used to interpret
the meaning of lived experiences and communicate
the interpretation textually or symbolically.
3. Hermeneutic Phenomenology’s
Forefathers:
Aurelius Augustine, 354-430 – formed the theoretical basis for
conceptions of the limits of language to express the inner world,
the forgetfulness of language, and the relationship between
language and tradition.
“Language of the heart can never be fully expressed through
language, something more still to be said to in order to
comprehend the matter fully.”
Martin Luther, 1483-1546 - had the significant influence on
the history of Protestantism and Christian church and on the
history of ideas more generally. He rejected philosophy as an
empty scholastic pursuit.
4. Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher, 1768-1834 – has been
credited as “one of the first to write systematically about
hermeneutics as a generic form” and as “The father of
contemporary hermeneutics”.
He advanced understanding of Interpretation that included:
1. Goal of determining the meaning of a text through
the intention and perspective of the author.
2. Methods of grammatical and technical interpretation
3. A distinction between a laxer and stricter practices of
interpretation and a belief in misunderstanding as the natural state
from which interpretation proceeds.
4. Clear identification of the relationship between the part and the
whole.
5. Wilhelm Dilthey, 1833-1911 - his conception of the
human sciences as epistemologically and methodically
distinct from the natural sciences, and his
of lived experiences as the basis for all understanding
set the groundwork for the emergence of
phenomenology.
Edmund Husserl, 1859-1938 - has been credited as
“The principal founder of phenomenology”.
He developed transcendental phenomenology, an
approach to understanding human experiences that
us focus on the essential structures that allow the
naively taken for granted in the ‘natural attitude’ to
‘constitute themselves’ in consciousness.
6. Jean-Paul Sartre, 1905-1980 – He continued
Heidegger’s project of existential phenomenology,
emphasizing our self-consciousness and drive for
meaning.
7. The use of Hermeneutic Phenomenology is encouraged social work.
Several features of hermeneutic phenomenology suited to social work
research:
1. Its focus on inquiry as application.
2. Emphasis on the situated nature of human
experiences.
3. Concept of attention to the unspoken or undisclosed.
4. Idea of the hermeneutic circle as a link between
individual experiences and larger structures, fusion of
horizons, and inclusion of the practitioner identity in
research activities.
Social Work and Hermeneutic
Phenomenology
8. Social constructionist perspective – recognize
the socially constructed nature of reality and
inter-subjectivity of knowledge.
Fusion of Horizons- refers to the fluid
meanings, ideas, and experiences of
participants, which are situated in a changing
historical context.
