Method-based psychology: The role of phenomenology in the understanding and treatment of depression

The purpose of this theoretical study was to analyze the role of method in clinical psychology and, specifically, apply the phenomenological method to depression. The phenomenological method can be applied to analyze the modes of abnormal human experience that underlie or antecede the behavioral symptoms that compose a given disorder. The focus of the study was an examination of the phenomenology of depression and a discussion of therapeutic approaches in treatment. The design involved a theoretical examination, in which I analyze concepts central to method-based psychology, the phenomenological method, the phenomenon of depression and its treatment.;Throughout the study, I provide justification for dissolving the subjective/objective distinction, which has important implications for the understanding of phenomenology; and present a positive alternative introducing the concept of agentivity. Method-based psychology involves a distinction between the methods of verstehen and erklaren, differentiated as ways of knowing and according to the purposes of each method . I show that there are multiple forms of explanation available in both methods and argue for a re-conceptualization of the methodological purposes and the concept of objectivity.;Lastly, I analyze the phenomenology of depression by appealing to testimony of persons who have experienced depression. I discuss how the development of empathetic attunement, specific uses of language, and encounters with the environment can be used as treatment interventions to mitigate central features of depression.