Psychology

This paper discusses two methods of phenomenological research transcendental and hermeneutic research. It includes the definition of the two approaches, their similarities, differences, strengths, and weaknesses.

Phenomenological Research Methods
Introduction
Phenomenology is a movement in philosophy started by Edmund Husserl in 1905. This movement is based on the notion that reality is all about what is perceived by human consciousness and not by anything that deviates from it. Husserl focused on what is directly given. He pointed out that experiences are immediate and must be isolated to its essence, stripping it off with all metaphysical theories and assumptions. From Husserl, the movement spread across the world influencing many significant persons in history such as Max Scheler and Martin Heidegger.

A book entitled Phenomenological Research Methods written by Clark E. Moustakas (1994) discusses different methods of research regarding phenomenology. In his book, he focused on different approaches in research such as ethnography, grounded theory, hermeneutics, empirical phenomenological research and heuristic research.

This paper focuses on the concepts of transcendental and heuristic phenomenological research methods as discussed in the book of Moustakas.

Transcendental Phenomenology
In the book, Moustakas relays Husserls concepts regarding transcendental phenomenology. According to him, this approach deals with eliminating all assumptions, prejudgments, and presuppositions. He explains further that observing phenomenology requires perviewing openly without outside influence. Basically, it is to observe phenomenon as they happen and appear in the human consciousness. Moustakas further explained that what is in consciousness is an absolute reality while what appears to the world is a result of learning. He also points out the importance of intuition as a process of withdrawing towards the self in order to achieve meaning and essence. Descartes referred to it as epoch (26). Transcendental phenomenology revolves around only one thing, which is what the person perceives. According to Husserl, Ultimately, all genuine, and, in particular, all scientific knowledge rests in inner evidence as far as such evidence extends, the concept of knowledge extends also. (25).

Hermeneutic Phenomenology
Hermeneutics is basically to read through appearances to understand the meaning behind it. It gives importance to the point of view of the event, as well as its social and cultural influences. Moustakas highlights the statement of Gadamer saying, the starting points of hermeneutic studies are to be found in art and in philological-historical insights. (10). One of the proponents of hermeneutic phenomenology was Martin Heidegger. He was born in Germany and started his career in the field of theology. At first, he was a follower of Husserl but never became his formal student. He succeeded Husserl in the field of phenomenology but disagreed with him afterwards. Heideggers concept was called Dasein, which means the mode of being human. He also emphasized that humans are concerned with their destiny in a foreign world (Laverty, 2003).

Similarities and Differences
Heideggers view of phenomenology shared similarities with transcendental phenomenology of Husserl. Both of these approaches are concerned with human experience as it happens. The goal is to shed light on the details of human experiences that are often taken for granted. It aims to create meaning and understanding of human life.

In research, both methods view human experiences as something that cannot be applied by quantitative means. Both methods take experiences as a whole, not just their subjective parts. They look for the meaning and essence of each experience rather than explaining or measuring it. They gather information as perceived by the person through interviews and non-formal conversations. Both of these methods also reflect the interests and the commitment of the researcher. They perceive behavior and experiences as a bond between the subject, object, and the parts of the whole.

Strengths and Weaknesses
Transcendental phenomenologys strengths as a research method lie in the fact that it aims to discover the meaning and essence of a person through reflection on subjective acts and their subjective counterparts. It emphasizes that it is only what comes to our consciousness that is certain and guarantees its objectivity. It promotes the notion that humans must withdraw towards themselves to find meaning in their experiences. These advantages are shared by both transcendental and hermeneutic phenomenology. Hermeneutics, however, does not just tackle the understanding of the phenomenon as it happens but also digs deeper and uses it to access reality in itself.

The main idea that transcendental and hermeneutic researches are only limited to what is actually happening and are used as a basis for understanding its essence also renders it weak. These approaches are qualitative and therefore cannot be measured. They are applied to understanding events such as behavior. However, a researchers perception is also relative to hisher interpretation of the observed behavior of the object. Although methods include interviews and formal conversations, the outcomes are not standardized to make it agreeable. These approaches are also not applicable on studies which require certain inquiry on a particular population. It is also a challenge to distinguish the absolute reality in an object from the influences of the outside world.