On the Phenomenological Orientation in Psychology

Alexandre Métraux in Conversation with Alexander NicolaiWendt

Abstract

What is the influence of phenomenological thinking in psychology? An answer to this question requires both considering the complex history of psychology as a discipline and the phenomenological movement. The dialogue tries to find an appropriate perspective, in which the background of the so-called phenomenological orientation in psychology is discussed. From intellectual history, the conversation moves to the more fundamental, systematic plain of the contribution phenomenology can make to psychology. It is emphasised that phenomenology provides an elaborated approach especially for the description of the world of experience. However, it needs to be supplemented because phenomenal analyses alone cannot fully meet the subject area of psychology. The conversation ends with a look at possible additions to psychological research. The approaches of phenomenology, for example, by Shaun Gallagher, prove to be not unproblematic. Jan Smedslund’s psycho-logic, which examines the redundancy of psychological theory formation with real-world certainties, is mentioned as an alternative.