Phenomenological and Humanistic-Experiential Convergences in Process-Centered Psychopathology Perspective

This theoretical study explores the intersection and complementarity between phenomenological and humanistic-experiential approaches in understanding psychopathology and diagnosis, focusing on the psychotherapeutic process. It demonstrates how, from both historical and contemporary perspectives, these theoretical frameworks converge to offer a more integrated view centered on experiential, narrative, and intersubjective processes of human suffering. The discussion highlights the theoretical foundations of the humanistic-experiential paradigm, which prioritize an experience-near clinical reasoning, aligning with phenomenological psychopathology and opposing traditional diagnostic models. Furthermore, it emphasizes the humanistic roots of process-centered psychotherapy research, as well as the significance of idiographic and abductive reasoning based on empirical-phenomenological observation. Finally, it concludes by underscoring the importance of qualitative methods in psychology, which provide a distinct form of objectivity, methodological rigor, and intersubjective validation in the study of psychological phenomena.