Reflections on Analysis in Qualitative Research: The Hermeneutic Circle in Ricoeur

Abstract

Faced with the challenges that qualitative research poses to psychology, our aim, from Paul Ricoeur’s perspective, in addition to explaining what we do when we analyze, is to highlight the role of analysis in the interpretative process in qualitative research, with its potential to constitute a critical instance. This is a theoretical study whose relevance lies in recognizing the need for criticism which, as part of the process of interpretation, offers protection against arbitrary readings. In this process, the role of analysis stands out through which the researcher, from an ethical stance, approaches the constitution of subjectivity in midst of a polysemic otherness to avoid interpretations that can obliterate what is possible and perpetuate violence. Beyond the method, analysis puts distance at the heart of the experience of belonging and allows us, through critical reflection, to move on from the sedimentation of meanings offered by tradition.