The Phenomenological Perspective According to S

According to Scheier and Carver (1988), the phenomenological perspective in psychology consists of a model or models of personality constructed to explain why people often perceive the same physical realities differently. Specifically, the authors state that the phenomenological perspective answers two questions: (1) How is it that people have different experiences when exposed to the same realities?, and (2) Where do these differences come from?

The Phenomenological perspective holds that the answer to both questions involves personality. In this regard, Scheier and Carver (1988) state that the human being must, (if he/she is to understand the stimuli perceived through sensory organs), somehow organize this incoming information for meaningfulness.

Each person, therefore, filters incoming stimuli (raw data or material from the outside world) through personally created organizational structures consisting of his/her mental representations of reality. Of these mental representations, the authors state:

It can be argued that personality consists of the organization of mental structures through which the person views reality (or which is imposed upon reality). (p. 433)

As to how personality operates with respect to this interpretive function, Scheier and Carver (1988) rely heavily on the personal constructs model developed by George Kelly. The scientific method of formulating hypotheses and checking them against empirical data is,

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Role Construct Repertory (or Rep) Test. Based on Kelly's notions, it can be seen that social interaction involves an elaborate set of cognitive processes because each person in the interaction is construing another's construct system, this being required if those interacting are to understand each other. Kelly termed this behavior "role taking," which Scheier and Carver (1988) elaborate on by stating that when we create another's sense of who we are in our own minds and what the other expects of us, we are in a role or taking a role for the purpose of acting in ways that will be interpretable to the others with whom we are interacting. Kelly's theories did not specify any sequence of stages in the development of the construct system from birth to maturity. Neither did he feel it was necessary to explain why human beings are motivated to create these systems. However, over the years, the phenomenological perspective has been refined to include some of these explanations. For example, Scheier and Carver (1988) state that a more thorough and explanative model of the phenomenological perspective is provided through contemporary notions about the psychological constructs of "self," and "self-actualization." These notions ar

Category: Psychology - T