Phenomenology as a method for the study of informal care
Lindsay J Paul
School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora VIC
PP: 192 - 206
Abstract
This paper establishes the suitability of a phenomenological research method, based on the existential philosophy of Merleau-Ponty, for the qualitative study of caring outside the professional context.
Firstly, different perspectives of the nature of caring are reviewed, as well as the notion that informal care can be regarded as a function of empathy. The philosophical origins of phenomenology and its adaptation to a qualitative research method are outlined. This is followed by the description of a methodology based essentially upon Merleau-Ponty's existential philosophy. This methodology is then evaluated as an appropriate means of enhancing the understanding of informal caring.
It is argued that phenomenology is not only a means of understanding and documenting the experience of caring, but that the process of inquiry itself has an important intrinsic value.
Keywords
informal care, caring, empathy, existentialism, phenomenology, qualitative methodology
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