Is This Self-Evident? Husserl’s Phenomenological Method and the Psychopathology of Common Sense

This article seeks to highlight the methodological relevance of phenomenology for psychopathology. With this aim, it particularly focuses on the work of the German psychiatrist, Wolfgang Blankenburg. In developing his “psychopathology of common sense”, Blankenburg engages in a thoughtful dialogue with phenomenology. This allows him, on the one hand, to propose a phenomenologically grounded approach to psychopathology and, on the other hand, to redefine the epistemological status of psychopathology as a scientific discipline. The critical analysis of Blankenburg’s clinical works and theoretical positions, and notably the evaluation of his assessment of some central moments in Husserl’s phenomenology, will elucidate how the latter can contribute to research in psychopathology. Particularly, it will be shown how the two keystones of Husserl’s phenomenological method, namely the epoché and the eidetic description, can be fruitfully implemented in psychopathological research.