Status quo and perspectives on a “qualitative psychology” (in Germany): An introduction to the thematic issue

Abstract

Despite considerable improvements during the last three decades, qualitative research still is not well established within psychology. This contribution first provides a historical overview of the difficult current status of qualitative psychology; e.g., being marginalized compared with its quantitative counterpart as well as with other social sciences (especially sociology, often regarded as the qualitative core discipline). Instead of fighting senseless battles with the mainstream of psychology or starting new ones with other disciplines it is recommended to elaborate the specific disciplinary perspectives crucial for psychological research endeavours; i.e., to focus on the psycho-logic and on psycho-logical requirements for qualitative research methods. An increased acknowledgement of the international state of the art of qualitative research might be helpful.