ABSTRACT
A qualitative inquiry not only deepens the understanding of the others but affords a greater understanding of ourselves. In a qualitative inquiry, the researcher’s part in shaping the research process is as important as the participant’s. This process can be described as a co-construction by the participant as well as the researcher for a deeper understanding of the psychological worlds of both the researcher and participant or the counsellor and counselee. Qualitative research is marked by the ‘researcher-as-tool’ status of the researcher, as a primary data-gathering and interpreting instrument. The respondent or participant can be understood through the interpretations given by the researcher and for such an interpretation, the researcher’s deep involvement becomes imperative (Denzin and Lincoln 2005; Ferrara 1995). Consequently, the self becomes primary in moving forth towards the goal of a better understanding of the psychological world of oneself and the other, which in turn affects overall wellbeing. Qualitative approach can be considered in different paradigms, phenomenology and hermeneutic being two of them. Even though these two approaches have a discrete beginning in the works of philosophers who proposed the initial ideas and later expanded on them, they work in alignment. This chapter explores the possibility of applying these two to a study of the self, wellbeing and the Mahabharata. I will also discuss the purported significance for counselling situations that such a reading yields through a phenomenological analysis of a key character and some contexts.
