Background
Claire Petitmengin used the explicitation interview developed by Vermersch (1996) to gather implicit subjective experiences of intuition. Since that time, she has launched a systematic method for describing and analyzing shared aspects of experiences. For this presentation, I will use my research into insightful change as an example of what this method can do for the field of positive psychology.
Aims
This presentation aims to introduce the science and practice of micro-phenomenology to researchers interested in further defining and refining the phenomenology of constructs applied in positive psychology. Since my investigation examined the shared subjective structures of insight among men living in a UK prison, a moment that led to a specific positive behavioral change, my data will be used as examples for the presentation. However, the aim of the presentation is to introduce and provide an experience of the method to attendees.
Method
This presentation will provide an overview of the micro-phenomenological method through description and hands-on experience. Examples will be drawn from my own study of implicit subjective structures of insight conducted during two 3-day visits in June and December of 2019, among seventeen male volunteers (aged 18 to 56) in a UK prison.
Results
Participants will receive an overview of the technique, examples of its application, and direct experience of the method.
Conclusion
By breaking down an experience into a finer and more detailed dimension, the data become structures of what is embodied, in other words, ‘how’ an experience unfolds and not ‘what’ one thinks about the experience. This method is relevant because researchers recommend further phenomenological study to understand more accurately the experience of key constructs in positive psychology: how individuals experience these constructs, what the shared generic structures of these constructs are, and generic structures can be compared with neural-physiological measurements. Such descriptions are roadmaps to delimitate elusive constructs used in positive psychology.