In this volume, originally published in 1977, the authors describe the relevance of figurative language for the psychology of language and present a methodological approach best described as naturalistic in orientation. The first section presents the idea of figurative language in terms of linguistic, aesthetic, and philosophical background. Also included is a description of empirical techniques used to assess figurative language and findings from an analysis of widely differing spoken and written contexts. The second section of this volume deals with the occurrence and significance of figurative language within the specific context of psychotherapy. The use of such language is shown to be crucial in patient insight. The third section deals with children, their understanding and use of figurative expressions, specifically within the school. Here is a volume that was an outstanding addition to the literature at the time and still a valuable resource today.

Named an Outstanding Academic Title for 2002 by "Choice "

"Thomas and Pollio, authors of numerous publications, have written a must-read book for nurses and other health care providers who want to understand and engage in the human experiences of patients. The authors provide wonderful insights for students, researchers, and clinicians into the world of existential phenomenology and share, through the use of this research methodological approach, the personal stories of patients as they lived their experiences. As thought-provoking as the research examples are, the chapters explaining philosophy and methods of existential phenomenology are essential reading for all nursing students...Thomas and Pollio write clearly and simply without the usual academic jargon, a welcome change for college students, clinicians, and researchers alike. This book fills a void in the nursing research literature and will be welcome to nursing researchers, practitioners, and lower-division undergraduates through graduate students."

"--CHOICE"

"This book fills not only a gap but a wide cavern....I can not think of a better way for neophyte nurses to engage the human experiences and perspectives of their patients, nor can I think of a more relevant and comprehensive explanation of the philosophy and methods of existential phenomenology for seasoned researchers, scientists, and theoreticians."--Jacquelyn H. Flaskerud, PhD, RN, FAAN, UCLA School of Nursing

While addressing a wide readership, this book focuses particularly on the nurse clinician and student, demonstrating how a humanistic philosophy and research methodology has the potential to illuminate the deeper meanings of health crises and universal human experiences like pain and spiritual distress.

This book presents a carefully constructed framework for teaching and learning informed by philosophical and empirical foundations of phenomenology. Based on an extensive, multi-dimensional case study focused around the 'lived experience' of college-level teaching preparation, classroom interaction, and students' reflections, this book presents evidence for the claim that the worldviews of both teachers and learners affect the way that they present and receive knowledge. By taking a unique phenomenological approach to pedagogical issues in higher education, this volume demonstrates that a truly transformative learning process relies on an engagement between consciousness and the world it 'intends'.

The Phenomenology of Everyday Life presents results from a rigorous qualitative approach to the psychological study of everyday human activities and experiences. This book does not replace scientific observation with humanistic analysis, but provides an additional perspective on significant human questions. The qualitative approach this book employs is grounded in the philosophical traditions of existentialism and phenomenology, which use dialogue as their major method of inquiry. These traditions are especially well adapted to encompass and describe human events and activities. In addition, such events can be properly investigated only on the basis of a method sensitive enough to articulate the nuances of human experience and reflection. In this latter regard, it is important to note that insights deriving from literature and the humanities are equally as revealing of the human world as those from experimental psychology, biology or medicine.

This book presents a carefully constructed framework for teaching and learning informed by philosophical and empirical foundations of phenomenology. Based on an extensive, multi-dimensional case study focused around the 'lived experience' of college-level teaching preparation, classroom interaction, and students' reflections, this book presents evidence for the claim that the worldviews of both teachers and learners affect the way that they present and receive knowledge. By taking a unique phenomenological approach to pedagogical issues in higher education, this volume demonstrates that a truly transformative learning process relies on an engagement between consciousness and the world it 'intends'.

The Phenomenology of Everyday Life presents results from a rigorous qualitative approach to the psychological study of everyday human activities and experiences. This book does not replace scientific observation with humanistic analysis, but provides an additional perspective on significant human questions. The qualitative approach this book employs is grounded in the philosophical traditions of existentialism and phenomenology, which use dialogue as their major method of inquiry. These traditions are especially well adapted to encompass and describe human events and activities. In addition, such events can be properly investigated only on the basis of a method sensitive enough to articulate the nuances of human experience and reflection. In this latter regard, it is important to note that insights deriving from literature and the humanities are equally as revealing of the human world as those from experimental psychology, biology or medicine.