Living and Relating

An Introduction to Phenomenology

In Living and Relating, Carol Becker uses daily life events to introduce students and others to a phenomenological view of human nature, development, and interpersonal relationships. She draws the classical thinkers in existential philosophy as well as phenomenological philosophy and psychology into the everyday world, and shows how their insights and traditions can provide a rich and useful orientation to human existence. Furthermore, she blends these pure existential and phenomenological viewpoints with humanistic, descriptive accounts of living and relating in order to help readers explore and deepen their understanding of life. Experientially evocative as well as easy to read, this book provides an excellent alternative or complement to traditional theory and research in introductory social science courses including psychology, human development, nursing, and philosophy. Besides being useful as a textbook, Living and Relating will be of interest to therapists, social workers, and others in the mental health professions. "Living and Relating provides a brief but spirited and compelling introduction to the philosophy, methods, and content of phenomenological psychology. Becker's consistent allegiance to the lifeworld respects the complexity and depth of life while attesting to just how clear, compassionate, and relevant life-span psychology could be." --Constance T. Fischer, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh "At last, here is a book on phenomenology that you don't have to be a philosopher to read! Carol Becker brings phenomenology to bear on the understanding of our own and other people's experiences as what co-constitutes the everyday world--friendship, love, sex, parenting, teaching, therapy, physical healing, college teaching--and she does a splendid job of it. Living and Relating is an extraordinarily rich and multifaceted application of phenomenology to everyday life. As a result, this book can be read by people outside of academic settings as well as within. This is a very well and clearly written book, which weaves together a large amount of theoretical and research studies yet abounds with concrete illustrations, often personal." --Maurice Friedman, author of The Worlds of Existentialism "We have few readable and complete texts for the study of phenomenology and this book will fill that need. Through her captivating writing and clear communication about personal experiences, Dr. Becker gives us an intrinsically interesting and intimate book that is a careful and comprehensive coverage of this fascinating field of inquiry." --Bonnie R. Strickland, University of Massachusetts at Amherst "The book is eminently readable and very engaging because of its effective use of everyday examples. I was quite moved as I read sections that are particularly pertinent to my own life. . . . I appreciated the variety of sources that she draws upon and the graceful way in which they are brought together." --Steen Halling, Seattle University "It is certainly a good introduction to phenomenological psychology. But it is also more than that. The organization of the book opens it to multiple college audiences, with each chapter providing an illustrative example of phenomenology in a specific situation." --Robert D. Romanyshyn, Pacifica Graduate Institute "It is a skillful weaving of experiential touchstones and phenomenological theorizing. The psychological world has long been waiting for a phenomenological perspective on life-span human development....A book this type is long overdue." --Amedeo Giorgi, Universite du Quebec a Montreal "A very accessible introduction to a phenomenological understanding of human nature and phenomenological research, followed by an inviting series of reflections on: lifespan development, friendship, love relationships, psychotherapy, helping the physically ill person, and college teaching." --The Humanistic Psychologist