Metody jakościowe stosowane w psychologii religii

Abstract

The article presents qualitative methods used in psychology of religion. The first part of the article is devoted to characterization of the qualitative methods used in psychology. It was pointed out that these methods are descriptive, comprehending, ideographic, and interpretative. A characteristic feature of the methods is the fact that they are used to describe and interpret an individual picture of a phenomenon. The methods include, among others: a case study, a psycho-biographic method, a psychological portrait, a hermeneutic dialogue method, a narrative method, and an autobiographic method. The second part of the article is devoted to a presentation of the areas within which the qualitative methods can be applied to psychology of religion. Some examples are provided of how the particular qualitative methods can be applied to an examination of religious experience. In the third part of the article some dilemmas of psychological qualitative examinations are pronounced. Special attention is paid to the fact that, with the use of these methods, one cannot capture causeeffect relationships of the phenomenon examined and the results of this examination can be applied only to the person (or the group of people) examined. However, they can constitute a basis to formulate some research hypotheses for verification with the use of the qualitative methods.