Interpretive Phenomenology : Embodiment, Caring, and Ethics in Health and Illness

Patricia Benner′s introduction to phenomenology develops the reader′s understanding of the strategies and processes involved in this innovative approach to nursing.

The author discusses the relationship between theory and practice, considers the possibility of a science of caring from a feminist perspective, introduces interpretive phenomenology to the study of natural groups such as families, and suggests a basis for developing nursing ethics that is true to the caring and healing practices of the nursing profession.

Patricia Benner′s philosophical introduction to phenomenology develops the reader′s understanding of the strategies and processes involved in this approach to human science. Contributors to the volume discuss the constitutive relationships between theory and practice, consider the possibility of a science of caring from a feminist perspective, introduce interpretive phenomenology for studying natural groups such as families, and suggest a ground for developing nursing ethics that is true to the caring and healing practices of nurses. Following a thorough and engaging exposition of the field′s theoretical and philosophical foundations, the work shifts focus to interpretive studies currently being undertaken within the scholarly community; the research tradition is then applied and reexamined as it relates to specific lines of inquiry. Interpretive Phenomenology presents an inclusive and well-integrated discussion of the many correlative topics within this subject area. Its relevance and accessibility will make this book an invaluable resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professional researchers in nursing and other health sciences. "The authors share a deep regard for the primacy of practice and caring. This is not the ethereal caring of many current theorists. . . . Interpretive Phenomenology presents an inclusive and well-integrated discussion of the author′s philosophical and practical approach, looking especially at the relationship between theory and practice." --Journal of Christian Nursing