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SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH METHODS: Psychological Research on the Human Spirit
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Department of Psychology |
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Conclusion
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These examples demonstrate that a methodologically integrated human science approach works in understanding spiritual and other "hard-to-define" phenomena. If defining experiences requires reduction and quantification, then such definitions will be not only hard, but impossible. However, if defining means revealing their deep structure and characteristics, examining their antecedents and consequences, and connecting them to other experiences and behaviors, the task becomes possible and potentially rewarding. While some research questions about human behavior and experiences do call for experiments, surveys, and other natural science methods, the deeper subjective domains of human experiences call for an integration of qualitative and quantitative research. The human science approach is an appropriate basis for the study of human behavior and experience. Being open to the full range of human experience, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods, valuing phenomenological reports as a key source of data, and providing systematic means to evaluate its adequacy, a human science approach provides scientific access to studying the deeper psychological dimensions. It avoids the limitations of a narrow scientism with its dependence on natural science methods, while it furthers the basic goals and values of science. In regard to clinical and counseling practice, such an integrated approach to scientific research is consistent with developments in psychology, including transpersonal psychology, the integration of psychology and spirituality (see, for example, Walsh & Vaughan, 1993). Transpersonal psychology is rooted in those spiritual aspects of human action and experience that, though difficult to quantify, are central in the lives of individuals, communities, and cultures. A human science approach provides the basis for data-based decisions which incorporate these spiritual aspects. This expanded view of science also enables dialogue and policy decisions which recognize the essential place of the deeper aspects of human experience, spirituality, and mental health in public policy. Such a n expanded, integrated approach to scientific research can be a genuine and potent tool in the pursuit of the full realization of human potential. It can also support the effective expression of compassionate and effective action toward individuals, communities, and the world. |