Não há você sem mim: histórias de mulheres sobreviventes de uma tentativa de homicídio

The murder-suicide (H / S) has been defined as a shocking crime in which a person takes the life of another and then kills himself within 24 hours. Set up as a gender violence, because men are in majority, the killers and the women victims. This study aims to understand the meanings of the experience of a H / S, from women who have survived this act. This study sets up as a hermeneutic phenomenological research, based on Heidegger`s ontology. We interviewed three survivors of H / S, whose narratives allowed to approach the senses present in their lives. The interviews were transcribed and interpreted in accordance with the hermeneutic circle, as proposed by Martin Heidegger. From the interviews of research participants perceive that these women have built their senses in stocks, represented the family foundation and the presence of a husband and children. This project that moved their lives toward the construction of modes-of-being. We noticed the presence of historicity constructing meanings for the existence of these women. We found reports of an experience of loving relationships characterized by strong jealousy, with the presence of fantasies of betrayal, and marked by a careful affective relationship that put them in the position of object possession of his companions. Reflect that such caring restricted their existence being-for-husband. So the senses that moved their stocks, which aimed his ways existential, was the creation of a family, a reference to their lives, to live a love, and care for the children. Therefore, beyond the already known aspects in studies on violence against women, which made these women continue to choose this relationship was the sense that they had for their existence. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the construction of a new look on violence against women, taking as a basis the Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology

Masculinidade a prova: um estudo de inspiração fenomenologico - hermeneutico sobre a infertilidade masculina

Culturally, childbearing is understood as a situation that subjects will experience at some point in their lives, especially people who are married or have a similar affectionate relationship. Thus, to realize the inability to meet such a fate seems to be a natural cultural trigger of suffering, frustration and feelings of inadequacy and helplessness. Specifically for men, infertility is closely related to loss of masculinity, virility. He fails in his role as a male. This study sought to understand the impact that infertility have on the existence of a man who receives such a diagnosis, both in self-image as in their marital, sexual and professional roles. This study sets up as a hermeneutic phenomenological research based on the ideas of the philosopher Martin Heidegger. Participants were seven heterosexual, married and infertile men. Two interviews were conducted. The analysis of the material included both the material of the narratives, as the affectation of the researcher when interacting with the participants and their narratives, through phenomenological-hermeneutic interpretation. The results corroborate the literature that states the difficulty of the men, immersed in a context that defines them as virile, powerful and invulnerable to worry about issues related to health and disease. The possibility of any condition that impairs the reproductive capacity exceeds the acceptable limits of daily life for these men, not being recognized as a model of masculinity present in the condition in which they recognize. This leads to questions about their masculinity, role in the marital relationship and their existence. Thus, to recognize themselves as infertile surpass a medical diagnosis and is associated with the construction of meaning for their existence from the approximation with the infertility condition, which helps in redirecting their choices, restoring the project to be self and allowing further recognition as men. In the marital relationship, doing what they can to ensure, theirs happiness. Through these actions, they remain playing the role of family provider, showing that they are able to protect their wives and taking in assisted reproduction or adoption of children viable alternatives to fulfill the desire to leave a legacy and give a child to their wives and to society. Another result observed, refers to the ontological condition of care that characterizes the human being. The ways in which men are treated socially demonstrates a type of care that focuses on the development of characteristics such as strength, virility and determination but does not allow them to cope with the suffering of emotionally difficult situations, such as the diagnosis of infertility. At the end, the study gives rise to reflections on the need to provide a 12 space for men and their expressions of suffering, as well as to recognize their ability to overcome the painful and difficult situations

Do útero à adoção: a experiência de mulheres férteis que adotaram uma criança

Even with all changes and ruptures related to the social roles that woman had performed, the literature had confirmed that the motherhood still configures it like one of the main roles that she hopes to play in some moment of her life. When the woman did not get pregnant or take ahead a pregnancy, some women find in adoption an alternative to play this role. This research aimed to understand the experience of being mother for adoption in the case of fertile women, but whose partner is infertile. Supported by existential-phenomenological theory, used it the narrative, how methodological instrument. Participated five women, whose adoption process followed the legal ways in the Youngness and Infancy Judgeship of Natal/RN. The results showed that in the selfish training, the woman to see herself how whose role principal is to generate children, although, she think that is natural her participation in others activities go out home too. In male infertile case is a tendency that the woman strikes the infertile status too. The adoption is an alternative to fulfill her desire of being a mother and, meanwhile, please her husband and guarantee the continuity of her love relationship. Through motherly care, the woman discover herself as a mother, what brings a new meaning for her live, independent of to generate a child. Though, exit frustration, sometimes, in association with suffering, on account of the pregnancy and childbirth absence. The end of the research suggests reflections that to become fulfilled herself as mother, the woman does not need, necessarily, to generate a child, being the maternity one of the uncountable possibilities that are shown, and that she can choose, or not, accomplish it

A experiência de adolescentes portadores de diabetes Mellitus Tipo 1: seus significados e sentido

Worldwide, the diabetes mellitus is considered a serious problem of public health; it also involves high costs for its treatment and its complications. Even though the onset of diabetes mellitus type 1 is on 5% to 10% of the diabetic population, it is the most aggressive type of anifestation; furthermore, it is the commonest chronic disease in childhood and adolescence. Such data show the importance of understanding the development of this disease from the moment the individual perceives it, according to their experience, observing the complexity of the phenomenon thoroughly. This study aimed to comprehend the experience of the adolescent with onset of diabetes mellitus type 1 in order to learn how these young individuals perceive and reason their place in the world when they experience this illness. The methodological strategy was based on qualitative research of phenomenological inspiration. We applied the main ideas of heideggerian ontology and some concepts of existential phenomenological psychology to guide our reflexive path. The participants were 10 young individuals (06 female and 04 male), ages between 15 and 18, under treatment in the city of Recife, Pernambuco. The methodological resource was the narrative, which allowed us access to the adolescents experience. The comprehension of the reports was based on the heideggerian hermeneutics, whose priority is the interpretation of the meaning expressed by the participants speech. The results showed that factors such as social, family, economic and cultural context greatly influence the perception and the way the individuals deal with, perceive and reason their experience. We noticed that the diabetes type 1 may often represent a limitation, but it does not make it impossible to be part of the world with others. The data show a significant affective ambivalence regarding the content more directly related to the disease. This demonstrates the unique way which each one gives meaning and reasons their condition of existence. This research points out the need to understand the complexity of this phenomenon in a more complete manner, considering the adolescent in their timely and historical context. We believe we can encourage thinking that may become actions which are more fit to the reality researched regarding all the parties involved with the subject, such as health professionals, adolescents, family, support programs and public health policies

Compreendendo a experiência de pessoas portadoras de transtorno mental: histórias de vidas severinas repletas de possibilidades

This study aims to understand the experience of people suffering from mental disorder. The patients are enrolled in a mental health ambulatory clinic in the city of Natal (RN). Mental disorders are growing rapidly in the contemporary world and are a source of intense mental suffering. Besides patients being strongly marked by a history of isolation and prejudice, they have been the target of real atrocities committed in the name of preservation of a supposed normality. The understanding and treatment of this disorder is influenced by cultural and historical inferences, depending on the period in which it is experienced. Semi-directed Interviews were conducted with a group of users, with the emphasis on giving voice to their uniqueness and individuality, highlighting how each one perceives his or her own experience. These were recorded and later transcribed by identifying the core of meanings. The results were analyzed under the gaze of the Humanist Phenomenology Existential perspective, which aims to unravel the phenomenon, without truths from volatility, highlighting the existence of the mental disorder as a way of living, being permeated by suffering mental and influenced by social problems, assuming contours very particular to each individual. Some progress has been perceived, even by users, with respect to the change of paradigm in the way of care, but still there is a consistent emphasis on medical and drug use. The changes point to the need for offering services to replace the asylum hospital model, and in addition to accept the bearer of mental disorder as a citizen, a bearer of rights who should be accepted and respected by society. Despite the pain expressed and its close liaison with suicide, their reports are full of perspectives and attitudes of confrontation facing life, pointing to new possibilities to be, recreating itself

O médico diante da morte na urgência e emergência:reflexões sobre o ser médico

The literature pointed that the way which people deal with death have been changing along centuries, and nowadays what is realized it is that, each time more, the human being have difficulties to deal with death. Due to the fact that the main function of the physician is to save their patients lives; responsibility that is aggravated by the necessity of to take decisions quickly, once he need to deal with the unexpected situations of the urgency and emergency, many times these professional have to face of impotency and fail situations, when he lose a patient. The main goal of this study was to understand the experience of physicians that work in the urgency and emergency, in front of death. These questioning it justified by the fact of the physicians do not have, many times, a space to express their suffering and anguish about the issues related to death in their work routine, despite lifedeath question to be often present their everyday. It is still possible to verify in the literature, an appointment of the necessity of to include in the curriculum of Medicine courses, subjects that approach such questions. The method used was based on the existential-phenomenological perspective, using as instrument the participant observation, to the intent of understand the routine in the urgency and emergency context, and semi-structured interview. It was interviewed six physicians that work in the urgency and emergency of the most important hospital of public health system of Natal-RN. The results showed that the physicians reported pleasure in work in the urgency and emergency, despite of they presented stress and the difficulties that they deal with in the public system. Despite of the fact that the death to be considered as a phenomenon that make part of the physician s routine, sometimes, deals with these one is more difficult. Many times losses generate an impotency and guilty feeling, as well as questionings about their performance during the attempts to save lives. We verified, from this study, the importance of the existence of some kind of intervention in the emergency, in order to the physicians can elaborate the questions about death and die emerged in their work. We consider yet that this study corroborates and reiterates the discussions concerning the importance of this thematic to be approached in a more effective way, during the academic formation of these professionals, as well as, the importance of a larger investment from the part of Government in the urgency and emergency sector, in order to propitiate to these professionals a work that brings less harmful for their health

O aborto provocado como uma possibilidade na existência da mulher: reflexões fenomenológico-existenciais

Abortion is a very controversial and stigmatized subject, target of many criticism and discussions, mainly regarding to the legal, bioethical and religious aspects involved. In Brazil, abortion is considered a serious public health problem, being the major cause of maternal death due to its criminalization. The woman who causes an abortion is not up looked by society, since motherhood, culturally and historically, was imposed as a destination. Our main goal is to understand, from the existential-phenomenological perspective, the unique experience of the woman who induced the abortion This study is an offshoot of a larger study from USP in partnership with UFRN. Our participants were women who checked in on a maternity hospital in Natal with a miscarriage diagnosis and, among them, those who reported having induced abortion. Altogether, five women were interviewed. The used method was a phenomenological hermeneutics. The research revealed that the experience of abortion is a possibility that permeates women s life, being understood as a choice. This choice pervaded by much suffering, once it goes against everything that women are culturally taught and meant to be. The feeling more surfacing in this experiment, confirming the literature review, was blame. Abortion was also shown as an experience of helplessness and loneliness, due to lack of support from family and the partner. It was also revealed that abortion was made, mainly, by the desire of going along with future projects, including the prosecute of motherhood in the therms of what they consider ideal to a son s arrival, meaning, a family formation grounded on a stable relationship. Regarding the care provided by health professionals to these women, there is the need of restructuring the operating logic of SUS, so that women have the right to health in a integrate manner. This experience also made women reconsider the meanings they had towards abortion, and their life projects

Por trás das grades :reflexões sobre a experiência do ser apenado na situação de privação de liberdade

This research has resulted of investigations appeared from our work experience as psychologist in a prison of the state Rio Grande do Norte. It deals with the meeting with prisoner in the search for the rescue of the human being dignity, discovering the being that finds annulled by backwards of the prison. The current debate on the prisoners in Brazil has as focus the creation of efficient strategies in the combat to the criminal acts, not being worried in understanding the historical and social conditions in the context in which such acts develop. Our objective was to reach an understanding of the experience of the prisoner in the situation of freedom deprivation in Natal (RN) city. Its significant social relevance meets in emphasized thematic which intends to be revealing of the not-said one of these citizens. The epistemological space and the vision of adopted human being support in the humanist ideas of the Centered Approach in the Person and construct self, central nucleus of the personality theory proposal by Carl Rogers. We opt to the phenomenological method as way of access to the singularity of the experience of each one of the participants, supporting us in the strategy of the narrative as expression of the lived world. The results had pointed that the investigated experience is through suffering, that is, the way to be in the world of prisoner in the situation of freedom deprivation is felt by him/her as difficult to support. This reality is had by him/her as difficult to control, having a negative emotional repercussion for the self, leading the citizen to the alienation of his/her existential flow in these circumstances. The reflections produced in this work take us to consider that the punishment practices on behalf of a normalization of the behavior, linked to the recovery idea, do not meet to the intention of the arrests, that come demonstrating to the inefficacy of the objectives shown in the law as well as the loss of the human being dignity

Relação amorosa e tentativa de suicídio na adolescência : uma questão de (des)amor

Suicide rates have been rising all over the world. In Rio Grande do Norte state, a study carried out by Dutra (1999) investigated suicide rates among youngsters and found that in 1997 alone 244 cases of suicide attempt were registered. The author took an interest in studying this phenomenon among adolescents after reviewing Dutra s study and the technical literature on suicide. In addition to that, another topic caught her attention and raised new research questions: suicide attempts motivated by love, i.e., the end of a relationship, the fantasy of being abandoned by a partner. These have made the author to question how love manifested itself among adolescents and how it could become a reason for adolescents to give up their lives. Based on the data she analyzed and the research questions she developed, her research objective was to understand how adolescents who have attempted suicide because of love-related reasons have gone through this experience. The theoretical reference for the research was the Client-centered Therapy and more specifically, the construct self , according to Carl Rogers. The methodological strategy was inspired by the existential-phenomenological strategy. It used the narrative as a research instrument, inspired by the work of Walter Benjamim (1994) which was developed into a research strategy by Schmidt (1990). Four youngsters (three male and one female) have participated in this study. They have attempted suicide for love-related reasons during dolescence, when they were 12 to 18 years old. The interviews were recorded on cassette tapes, transcribed and literalized into narratives. The understanding of the narratives was based on the meanings that emerged from the youngsters speeches, as well as from the moments that touched the author. These moments highlighted the meaning of the experience of giving up life and the experience of love-based relationship as experienced by the youngsters. The study detected, among the adolescents who were interviewed, the existence of impulsiveness related to the suicide attempt. Also, the majority of the interviewees came from unstructured family backgrounds and had lost of one of their parents or had to face their parents divorce. The suicide was attempted by these youngsters through the ingestion of medicines. The research also revealed that the youngsters had regretted attempting suicide and felt guilty about it. With regards to their self-evaluation, the author observed that the youngsters had low self-esteem, negative perceptions about themselves and distorted views of themselves. These findings helped the author to reflect on the close relationship between the construct self and the suicide attempt. She also observed that a few factors, i.e., family context, education, social and cultural values, have influenced the way the youngsters perceived themselves . The results of this research confirm the idea that we have to understand the suicide attempt as a multi-determined phenomenon. This study contributed to the analysis and reflection on the factors that contribute to suicide attempts thus providing a foundation for the development of public health programs and policies to deal with this topic

A experiência de depressão na contemporaneidade: uma compreensão fenomenológico-existencial

The depression is one of the most common forms of getting ill nowaday. Due to the increase in incidence of depression cases registered worldwide, this theme has been the subject of important studies, especially regarding the symptomatological description and biological etiology of the disease. This research had the objective to understand the unique experience of depression experienced by people who recognize themselves in depression, under the focus of existential phenomenology of Martin Heidegger. To reach the proposed objective, individuals narratives interviews were conducted with four participants, starting from the triggering question, "from your experience, how is for you to being depressed?". The survey revealed that depression affects the whole person and is related to stressful life contexts. Depression was narrated as an experience of disempowerment and lack of self esteem and personal worth. The collaborators of the research referred to the depression from sad, angry, bored and pessimistic mood. The time is experienced as a restriction to the projective opening towards the possibilities of being in which the future is seen as catastrophic and the past lived as debt and guilt. The corporeality, in depression is experienced through the weight, fatigue and pains for no reason. The space is lived from the notion of fall and collapse. We also realized the desire for isolation and avoidance of social contact. Suicide is desired and represents the end of the suffering in life. The depression has proved, still, very stigmatized, because it is discredited and misunderstood. The stigma also addressed to the experience of hospitalization and the unsuitability to the socially imposed standards of beauty, which generates enough suffering to the depressed person. The medication was described based on its positive effects, as a balance and suffering reducer, but also as a producer of dependence. Were also identified according to the collaborators, traces of selfdemand, ordenality and being-for-others, characteristic of typus melancholicus. This study contributes to an understanding of the depression that goes beyond the merely biological perspective and symptomatology of the pathology. The investigation of the depressive experience, through the lens of Heidegger's phenomenology, showed us the phenomenon of the depression in their singularity, complexity and multiple meanings, showing the close relationship between the formation of the depression and the context of personal and social life of the participants

Cuidados paliativos e ser-para-morte: reflexões sobre um atendimento psicológico

Death is a theme that fascinates, though at the same time, frightens and uneasy the human being, despite the finitude being present at our daily lives. In each historical time, death has been represented in a peculiar way, from familiar death (at Middle Ages), to interdicted death (at contemporary times). Through this path it‟s possible to recognize several attitudes and stages front of death and the process of dying as possibilities of coping and the understanding of these occurrences. In other hand, the palliative care proposal came as a humanized attention, front of the human finitude, recognizing death as a part of the vital cycle. The Brazilian reality, in this context, still faces a lot of political, economic and social barriers that makes difficult the consolidation of palliative care at the death process in the Brazilian Health Care policies. Currently, according to the Brazilian Palliative Care Association, Brazil presents an average of 40 services with this proposal. Such data portray our inexpressive condition in relation to these cares when considering the territorial extension and population of our country. Considering this scenario is relevant think about death and the process of dying at contemporary times, at a health context in which palliative care, when trying to humanize the process of dying, bring to light the issue of human finitude and the beingtowards- death, as thought by the philosopher Martin Heidegger. According to him, the human being (Dasein) is constituted as a being-towards-death, once death is its most own potentiality-for-bein and its last possibility to be lived. In view of the ideas presented, the proposed study appears as a qualitative research of existential-phenomenological inspiration and aims to understand the experience of being-toward-death from the psychological care to a person out of possibilities of cure living on palliative cares. The psychological care happened at the patient‟s home, understanding the clinical process of being-with-the-other from the written reports of the psychology/researcher, by the accompanying sessions, configured as an experience report. These reports are focused on the experiences lived by the patient, as well as apprehended by the psychologist at the intersubjectivity relation and its own experience with Dasein and, therefore, being-toward-death. The reports were hermeneutically interpreted, from the senses that emerged in this process, considering the notion of being-toward-death proposed by Heidegger. Furthermore, it was important to dialogue with other authors that approached the studied theme. It is perceived, through brief and meaningful reflections about the clinical treatments started, that the experience of illness with no possibilities of cure makes the Dasein revises feelings and experiences that were marked at the temporality and historicity of existence. It is a stage of life in which the cultural dimension and the common sense of finitude, often gains ground in the human condition, taken in its ordinary sense, unlike the way it has been thought from an ontological and existential perspective of death. Thus, there are singulars and revealing paths in the palliative care scenery as possible ways for authenticity of being-toward-death

O contato em um click: ser-com em um mundo supervirtualizado

O presente estudo tem como objetivo compreender os sentidos da experiência de jovens e adultos com a interação social virtual, partindo de suas narrativas. Inspiradas nas ideias de Martin Heidegger, especialmente em seu seminário A Questão da Técnica , refletiremos sobre os modos de ser-com, em tempos de tecnologia, internet, consumo e hipermodernidade, contexto deste estudo, onde as coisas são vivenciadas em seu extremo (hiperconsumo, hipercorpo, hipermercado, hipercartões). Neste cenário, a Internet e as Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação estão mediando, cada vez mais o contato do homem com o mundo, reconfigurando a vida em sociedade. Diante disso, apresentamos A Era do Click , em que são possibilitados novos meios de estar com os outros. Este é um estudo qualitativo, baseado na fenomenologia de Heidegger, por ser favorecedora da compreensão dos sentidos da experiência em relação à questão problematizada. Como estratégias de pesquisa foram utilizadas sondagem de campo e entrevistas individuais, inspiradas nas narrativas de Walter Benjamin. Cinco colaboradores relataram suas experiências de ser-com no mundo virtual. A partir de seus relatos foi possível compreender que o espaço virtual se revela como mais um lócus, dentre tantos, no cotidiano do ser do homem, em que emergem diferentes modos de ser-com. Dependendo de sua abertura, a proximidade ou o distanciamento tornam-se relativos, do mesmo modo que o pessoal e o impessoal, o próprio e o impróprio. Além disso, tornou-se claro que, a virtualidade pode ajudar a lidar com a solidão e a angústia temporariamente, da mesma forma que pode tornar-se uma barreira para um contato mais aprofundado e autêntico com os outros. Os colaboradores demonstraram uma atitude de serenidade, um poder dizer sim e não simultaneamente à técnica moderna, além de uma postura de meditar sobre os modos como se conectam. Questionamos as implicações em longo prazo da virtualização do contato, estimulando novos estudos, sob a luz da fenomenologia heideggeriana

Violência sob o olhar do adolescente autor de Ato Infracional: reflexões fenomenologicas

O envolvimento de jovens com a violência nos últimos anos, no Brasil, tem aumentado significativamente, bem como o número de adolescentes cumprindo medidas socioeducativas com restrição de liberdade. Entretanto, a literatura mostra a produção incipiente de estudos que abordam o jovem infrator a partir da sua própria experiência. Com base nessas evidências, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo compreender como adolescentes autores de atos infracionais experienciam a violência, sejam como agentes, espectadores ou vítimas, sob a ótica da Analítica Existencial, de Martin Heidegger. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, de inspiração fenomenológico-hermenêutica, tendo sido utilizada a narrativa como recurso metodológico. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas, com dois adolescentes de 16 e 17 anos, egressos de medida socioeducativa de restrição de liberdade. A interpretação das narrativas foi feita a partir dos sentidos que emergiram na experiência relatada e do diálogo entre algumas noções heideggerianas como ser-no-mundo, cuidado e impessoalidade. Os relatos mostraram que a violência está presente desde a infância desses adolescentes, tendo sido presenciada na própria família. Para eles, o comportamento violento representa uma forma de impor respeito e admiração. As experiências podem ser interpretadas como uma expressão das relações entre o ser adolescente e o mundo que caracteriza o seu contexto de vida. Assim, as noções de cuidado, no modo de ocupação, e impessoalidade, são vistas como presentes nas experiências narradas. Por hora, o que apresentamos foi nossa compreensão dessas experiências únicas de ser adolescentes num contexto de violência, mostrando peculiaridades de duas crianças que não queriam ser um problema social, mas lançados num mundo inóspito e cruel, na qual nos absorve para as tramas mais sutis de ser, misturando significações e sentidos num espectro fluido que é o viver. Por fim, esperamos que esta pesquisa possa acrescentar não só aos estudos sobre a violência de jovens, mas também ressaltar a importância de se compreender a violência pelo olhar daqueles que a vivenciam

A clínica que se vive: reflexões sobre a prática da Psicologia clínica na contemporaneidade

The increasing search for the psychological attendance, express in the waiting list in the clinics, clinic-school and in the private clinics, beyond the increase of the choice of psychology as professional career among the pre-college students, allows us to reflect about the place that is occupied by the Psychology, nowadays. The main focus of this study is the clinical Psychology, an area of psychology. The interest in to deepen the reflection regarding of the place that the psychologist and his acting had been assumed in our society, emerged from our own actuation as clinical psychologist. Reflections concerning the suffering of man of our time, accompanying our inquietude while researcher and made us question about the actuation of clinical psychology, nowadays. This research aimed to understand how the clinical psychologists perceive their practice, attempting to get appointments regarding of what is to be clinical psychologist in contemporaneity, more specifically, in the face of the psychic suffering. Based on a phenomenological perspective of research were accomplished semi-structured interviews and a discussion group with clinical psychologists. From the obtained results, we arrived to the following conclusions: a) the most of participants considered the academic formation of the psychologist insufficient and far from social reality; b) the speeches revealed that there is still a relation between the practice of clinical psychologist and the medical model of attendance. Nevertheless, was observed a change in the new psychologists conception of clinic, but is still in development; c) in the most of speeches, we founded consensus about the idea of that the social context which the contemporaneous world lives, had generated new demands of suffering; d) the clinical listening is considered the specificity of the clinical psychologist. We believe that this study had been contributed to fomenting the discussion about the academic formation of clinical psychologist and, the concepts and models of clinic that now base the actuation of the professionals that are inserted on the work market

Phenomenology as a method to investigate the experience lived: a perspective from Husserl and Merleau Ponty's thought

Aim. By taking nursing as a human relationships activity, in spite of its strong technical-scientific features, this article reflects on the phenomenological method as one of the ways to develop ail investigation and acquire knowledge of the topic.Rationale. Based on Husserl's phenomenology, which is opposed to the way of doing science based on the laws that regulate the physics and mathematics, the article introduces Merleau Ponty's existential phenomenology as the theoretical foundation for the method it proposes. My existential conceptions-people as historic beings inserted in a world over which they act but which, in its turn, determines them; the human perception as reference for our way of being in the world; the space-time structure of perception-these are the key concepts that have led to the elaboration of ail approach to phenomenological research.Proposal of a methodology. Steps are proposed for such ail approach, namely phenomenological description, reduction and analysis. These lead to the building up of ideographic and nomothetic analyses, thus unveiling and describing general truths about the phenomenon studied. Finally, the possibilities for applying the methodology to nursing research are discussed, illustrated by my research into student nurses' perspectives on working oil an isolation ward.