Phenomenological Method and Philosophy of Psychiatry: History and Prospects of Interaction

Abstract

The article considers the possibilities of applying the phenomenological method in the philosophy of psychiatry. For this purpose, a brief analysis of the main stages of the development of the interaction of philosophy and psychiatry in modern times (20–21 centuries) was carried out: initial, syncretic, practical stages, and the formation of an interdisciplinary project, which is presented as the philosophy of psychiatry. An attempt to determine how exactly should the “phenomenological method” be understood when it comes to its application to the study of mental states in psychiatry and related disciplines (psychology and psychotherapy) is also made. It is shown that the phenomenological method tries to describe the human experience with the help of a more complete scheme of categories and concepts than is typical for the natural-scientific understanding of psychiatry. This method is also focused on human existence and helps a psychiatrist to “get used to” the structure and ways of being-in-the-world of a person. Therefore, the phenomenological method is practiced in psychology, psychotherapy, and psychiatry as a type of qualitative research. The historical review demonstrates that the phenomenological method has various manifestations in psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy (as a general philosophical method, a procedure for describing research in psychology, and a technique used in psychotherapeutic practice). Based on this, it is concluded that it is necessary to make a detailed analysis of the subject field of the direction of research where phenomenological method is implemented in order to explain the peculiarities of application of the phenomenological method. Although the problem of the expediency of using phenomenology as a research strategy in the philosophy of psychiatry is currently debatable, the author of the article believes that the use of the phenomenological method in philosophy of psychiatry can and should be implemented.