Hermeneutics and narration: a way to deal with qualitative data

Abstract

Hermeneutics and narration: a way to deal with qualitative data This article focuses a hermeneutic approach on the interpretation of narratives. It is based on the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur's theory of interpretation but modified and used within a caring science paradigm. The article begins with a presentation of the theoretical underpinnings of hermeneutic philosophy and narration, as well as Ricoeur's theory of interpretation, before going on to describe the interpretation process as modified by the authors. The interpretation process, which consists of several stages, is exemplified and discussed using a single case from a larger study on suffering. The results of that study indicate that the struggle of suffering is perceived as a struggle formed between shame and dignity, and that nurses must engage in the process of preserving and restoring the dignity of their suffering patients. The authors suggest that Ricoeur's theory of interpretation is useful when trying to understand narrative data if the researcher realises that the process of distanciation, although central in Ricoeur's thinking, is not the goal of the process but rather a means to deal with the researcher's pre-understandings. According to Ricoeur, distanciation is accomplished by putting the context aside and dealing with the text 'as text' and thereby explaining its meaning. Explanation thus becomes the dialectic counterpart to understanding in the interpretation process. The researchers further argue that distanciation must be followed by reflection, where the interpretations are linked back to the empirical context.

Diagnostic interaction: The patient as a source of knowledge?

“…The tapes were transcribed verbatim by the first author. The first reading of a text is what Ricoeur calls a ''naive understanding'' [13], when the reader becomes familiar with the text in order to grasp the meaning as a whole. During this phase, the discourse was coded according to thematic episodes.…”

Facades of Suffering: Clients' Photo Stories About Mental Illness

“…Hermeneutic Analysis. Tanja's story reads like a comedy, a type of story with a happy ending after earlier setbacks and suffering but with no great control over events on the part of the protagonist (Wiklund, Lindholm, & Lindström, 2002;Wiklund, Lindström, & Lindholm, 2006). Based on contextual knowledge, we may doubt whether the image of stability in Tanja's story is realistic.…”

“…Tanja seems to have withdrawn from her suffering to find a temporary respite. This is in itself an aspect of tragedy (Wiklund et al, 2002(Wiklund et al, , 2006. The Function of the Photo Story.…”

Hermenêutica e narrativa: a experiência de mães de crianças com epidermólise bolhosa congênita

“…Interface -Comunic, Saúde, Educ, v.9, n.16, p. 131-46, set.2004/fev.2005 Introdução Este artigo pretende analisar os discursos de três mães de crianças portadoras de Epidermólise Bolhosa (EB) congênita 3 , com uma abordagem inspirada na hermenêutica fenomenológica de P. Ricoeur e na leitura sucessiva, deste autor, feita por René Geanellos (1998aGeanellos ( , 1998bGeanellos ( , 2000, Inger Ekman (Ekman et al, 2000) e Lena Wiklund (Wiklund et al, 2002), na área das ciências da saúde. A Epidermólise Bolhosa é uma grave e rara doença que se manifesta na pele e mucosas que, ao serem afetadas, produzem rupturas e sofrimentos para as crianças portadoras e os familiares diretamente envolvidos com o cuidado.…”

“…Um outro conceito é representado pela apropriação, quando o intérprete apropria-se do significado de um texto, transformando este em algo familiar, próprio. A apropriação do significado do texto é similar ao sentimento de pertença a uma tradição (Geanellos, 1998 a;1998b;Wiklund et al, 2002 (Geanellos, 2000).…”