A Hermeneutic Approach to the Study of Values in Counseling

Abstract

This article has two purposes. The first is to describe the hermeneutic approach to counseling research. This description includes a basic rationale for the use of the hermeneutic method in the study of values and counseling as well as a description of the philosophical and procedural framework that undergirds the hermeneutic approach. The second purpose of the article is to illustrate hermeneutic analysis through an example of this type of research. The phenomenon of study is the language of counselors as it relates to the values of free will and determinism. The analysis indicates that counselors' language differs from their professed beliefs. Also, counselors use free will language to support clients and build the relationship and they use deterministic language to encourage a focus on insight.

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