Hermeneutical situation and research in psychology: methodological developments

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of hermeneutic situation, as presented by Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) in the “Natorp Bericht”, aiming to position it as a significant meth-odological tool for psychological research. Firstly, a bibliographical exploration ofHeidegger's text is conducted, elucidating the three constituent aspects of the hermeneutic situation: namely, standpoint, perspective, and horizon. Subsequently, a bibliographic ex-ploration of the extensive material produced in psychology is undertaken considering phenomenology-hermeneutics, with the dual purpose of establishing a general scenario re-garding the methodological importance of the hermeneutic situation and, conversely, em-phasizing that this does not entail the construction of absolute truths but rather involves providing exploratory and descriptive interpretations of human experience in the world. Thirdly, methodological possibilities arising from the use of the hermeneutic situation as a research tool in psychology are presented, focusing on ethical considerations to prevent the researcher's perspective from overshadowing the field as it presents itself. In conclusion, the paper highlights how the hermeneutic situation offers a robust methodological frame-work and qualitatively enriches the theoretical-epistemological repertoire of psychological research, simultaneously enabling the investigator to adopt a critical stance toward the sub-ject of investigation.