The Hermeneutic-Dialectical as a Qualitative Research Analysis in Nursing

Abstract

The hermeneutic-dialectical analysis is a method that a nursing researcher uses consciously or unconsciously during the process of qualitative data analysis. This method begins as a proposal by Jürgen Habermas in his dialogue with Gadamer in order to show him that the universality of hermeneutics is in reason when the subject is capable of criticizing tradition and authority with an overview to transform reality. In isolation, the concept of hermeneutics has suffered a semantic metamorphosis in historical events; being an art or theory in explaining, translating or interpreting biblical, philosophical and legal texts, until it becomes a philosophical school characterized by the idea: “Truth is the fruit of interpretation. Alternatively, dialectic considers the art of conversation, dialogue, difference, opposition, discrepancy, controversy or argumentation. Dialectic is a branch of philosophy that confirms conflict between two judgments, generating these a final product named the resulting process. Because of this, when considering the advantages and disadvantages of both methods, Habermas remarks that his proposal of Hermeneutic-Dialectic analysis seeks the interpretation of hermeneutics with the critical application of dialectic, that within the qualitative data analysis in nursing, can be used to discover resemblances, inconsistencies, as well as being interpretative and critical in generating knowledge inside the nursing profession.