Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological method as a critical tool to the research on psychopathology / O método fenomenológico de Merleau-Ponty como ferramenta crítica na pesquisa em psicopatologia

Abstract

Having in mind that many, rather than only one phenomenology exist, the phenomenological methodology in the research in both psychology and psychopathology varies according to the philosophical thought by which it is sustained. This article describes briefly the re-reading that Merleau-Ponty does of Husserl's thought, pointing to its potential as a critical tool in the research in psychology and psychopathology. It proposes a perspective of multiple contours as a framework, which includes a methodology that uses descriptive variable and hypothesis as suspicion. It understands itself as an intimate methodology, which can make proper use of vignettes or part of the talks. It describes a worldly phenomenological analysis, based on a merleau-pontyan foundation, where rather than the essence, the meaning of the lived experience is searched. It finally proposes leaving the brackets as the last step of the analysis, where the researcher stops doing the phenomenological reduction. The researcher then assumes his or her worldly position, thus avoiding the over flight thought in the form of a pretended scientific neutrality.

Keywords

• Phenomenological method
• Merleau-Ponty
• critical
• psychopathology