The authors describe the emergence, application, and advantages of a dialogal approach to phenomenological research and show how it is rooted in a particular community of psychological theory and practice. This approach assumes that dialogue itself, interpersonal conversation, is critical not only in teaching and in therapy but also in research. Further, this approach overcomes the dichotomy between the personal and professional without sacrificing "objectivity," finds commonalities between psychotherapy and research, and draws on the insights of the humanities. Most striking, it relies on cooperative group dialogue rather than specific procedures in moving toward understanding and interpretation of "data." Examples are drawn from dialogal research on forgiveness, humility, and social activism.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Barrell, J. J.
, Medeiros, D., Barrell, J. E., & Price, D. (1985). The causes and treatment of performance anxiety: An experiential approach. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 25(2), 106-122.
2.
Barrell, J. J.
, Medeiros, D., & Foley, K. (1990). The experiential method: Exploring the human experience. Acton, MA: Copley.
3.
Bauer, L.
, Duffy, J., Fountain, E., Halling, S., Holzer, M., Jones, E., Leifer, M., & Rowe, J. O. (1992). Exploring self-forgiveness. Journal of Religion and Health, 31(2), 149-160.
4.
Bellah, R. N.
, Madsen, R., Sullivan, W. M., Swidler, A., & Tipton, S. M. (1986). Habits of the heart: Individuation and commitment in American life. New York: Harper & Row.
5.
Buber, M.
(1958). 1 and thou (2nd ed.; R. Smith, Trans.). New York: Scribner.
6.
Buber, M.
(1965). Distance and relation. In M. Friedman (Ed.), The knowledge of man: Philosophy of the interhuman (pp. 59-88). New York: Harper & Row.
7.
Buckley, F. M.
(1975). The everyday struggle for the leisurely attitude. In A. Giorgi, C. Fischer, & E. Murray (Eds.), Duquesne studies in phenomenological psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 261-272). Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press.
8.
Cushman, P.
(1990). Why the self is empty: Toward a historically situated psychology. American Psychologist, 45(4), 599-611.
9.
Eliot, T. S.
(1961). The hollow men. In H. Spencer, W. E. Houghton, & H. Ballows (Eds.), British literature: Blake to present day (pp. 925-927). Boston: D. C. Heath.
10.
Fields, J.
(1957). On not being able to paint. Los Angles: Tarcher.
11.
Fischer, C. T.
, & Wertz, F. J. (1979). Empirical phenomenological analyses of being criminally victimized. In A. Giorgi, R. Knowles, & D. L. Smith (Eds.), Duquesne studies in phenomenological psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 135-158). Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press.
12.
Gadamer, G. H.
(1975). Truth and method (2nd ed., G. Barden & J. Cummings, Eds. and Trans.). New York: Seabury. (Original work published 1965)
13.
Gendlin, E. T.
(1973). Experiential phenomenology. In M. Natanson (Ed.), Phenomenology and the social sciences (pp. 281-322). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
14.
Giorgi, A.
(1975). An application of phenomenological method in psychology. In A. Giorgi, C. Fischer, & E. Murray (Eds.), Duquesne studies in phenomenological psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 82-103). Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press.
15.
Halling, S.
, & Leifer, M. (1991). The theory and practice of dialogal research. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 22(1), 1-15.
16.
Halling, S.
, Leifer, M., Menuhin-Hauser, C., Pape, K., & Rowe, J. O. (1992, June). When injustice cannot be ignored: Living as social activists. Paper presented at the 11th International Human Science Research Conference, Oakland University, Rochester, MI.
17.
Hailing, S.
, Leifer, M., & Rowe, J. O. (1990, August). A preliminary study of the nature of social activism: The tension between struggle and compassion. Paper presented at the Ninth International Human Science Research Conference, University of Laval, Quebec.
18.
Heidegger, M.
(1962). Being and time (J. Macquarrie & E. Robinson, Trans.). New York: Harper & Row. (Original work published 1927)
19.
Husserl, E.
(1931). Ideas (W.R.B. Gibbon, Trans.). London: Allen & Unwin. (Original work published 1913)
20.
Jaspers, K.
(1970). Philosophy (Vol. 3; E. B. Ashton, Trans.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Original work published 1932)
21.
Kunz, G.
(1988, June). Psychology honors the paradoxical: The power of weakness. Paper presented at the Seventh International Human Science Research Conference, Seattle University, Seattle, WA.
22.
Kunz, G.
(1992, June). The paradox of the power of the voice of the weak. Paper presented at the 11th International Human Science Research Conference, Oakland University, Rochester, MI.
23.
Kunz, G.
, Clingaman, D., Gonzales, J., & Soper, P. (1986, June). Helping and healing in the context of the paradox ofpower and weakness. Paper presented at the Fifth International Human Science Research Conference, Berkeley, CA.
24.
Kunz, G.
, Clingaman, D., Gonzales, J., & Soper, P. (1987). Helping and healing: The paradox of power and weakness. Humanistic Psychologist, 15(3), 208-214.
25.
Kunz, G.
, Clingaman, D., Hulet, R., Kortsep, R., Kugler, B., & Park, M. S. (1987, June). A dialogal phenomenological study of humility. Paper presented at the Sixth International Human Science Research Conference, University of Ottawa, Canada.
26.
Lawner, P.
(1981). Reflections of the "unknown" in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 18(3), 306-312.
27.
Leifer, M.
(1986, June). The dialogal approach to phenomenological research. Paper presented at the Fifth International Human Science Research Conference, Berkeley, CA.
28.
Levinas, E.
(1969). Totality and infinity (A. Lingis, Trans.). Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press. (Original work published 1961)
29.
Levinas, E.
(1981). Otherwise than being or beyond essence (A. Lingis, Trans.). The Hague, Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff. (Original work published 1974)
30.
Levinas, E.
(1990). Difficult freedom (S. Hand, Trans.). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press. (Original work published 1963)
31.
Merleau-Ponty, M.
(1962). The phenomenology of perception (C. Smith, Trans.). New York: Humanities Press. (Original work published 1945)
32.
Moustakas, C.
(1990). Heuristic research: Design, methodology, and applications. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
33.
Palmer, P.
(1983). To know as we are known. New York: Harper & Row.
34.
Polanyi, M.
(1962). Personal knowledge: Towards a post-critical philosophy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
35.
Polka, B.
(1986). The dialectic of biblical critique: Interpretation and existence. New York: St. Martin's.
36.
Polkinghorne, D.
(1989). Phenomenological research methods. In R. S. Valle & S. Halling (Eds.), Existential-phenomenological perspectives in psychology (pp. 41-60). New York: Plenum.
37.
Reason, P.
(1988). The co-operative inquiry group. In P. Reason (Ed.), Human inquiry in action: Developments in new paradigm research (pp. 18-39). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
38.
Ricoeur, P.
(1967). Husserl: An analysis of his phenomenology (E. Ballard & L. Embree, Eds. and Tans.). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
39.
Rowe, J.
, Hailing, S., Davies, E., Gnaulati, E., Powers, D., Van Bronkhorst, J., & Usadi, E. (1986, June). Self-forgiveness:Aphenomenological study of experiencing forgiveness. Paper presented at the Fifth International Human Science Research Conference, Berkeley, CA.
40.
Rowe, J.
, Halling, S., Davies, E., Leifer, M., Powers, D., & Van Bronkhorst, J. (1989). The psychology of forgiving another: A dialogal research approach. In R. S. Valle & S. Halling (Eds.), Existential-phenomenological perspectives in psychology (pp. 233-244). New York: Plenum.
41.
Spady, R. J.
, Bell, C. H., & D'Angelo, G. A. (1980). A new view of authority and the administrative process. Futurics, 4(2), 143-1980.
42.
Steindl-Rast, D.
(1984). Gratefulness: The heart of prayer. Ramsey, NY: Paulist.
43.
Stern, D. B.
(1983). Unformulated experience: From familiar chaos to creative disorder. Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 19(1), 76-99.
44.
Strasser, S.
(1969). The idea of dialogal phenomenology. Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press.
45.
Strauss, A.
(1987). Qualitative analysis for social scientists. New York: Cambridge University Press.
46.
Thomas, L.
, Chambers, K., Kraus, P., & Soparkar, B. (1988, June). Levels of meaning in the qualitative analysis: Comparison of the thematic and metaphoric approaches. Paper presented at the Seventh International Human Science Research Conference, Seattle University, Seattle, WA.
47.
von Eckartsberg, R.
(1978). Person perception revisited. In R. Valle & M. King (Eds.), Existential-phenomenological alternatives for psychology (pp. 182-202). New York: Oxford University Press.
