The theme-centred interview and the map of meanings: A phenomenological approach to the analysis of experience

Abstract

This paper presents a methodological proposal for phenomenological interviewing, the theme-centred interview, designed to facilitate in-depth exploration of the meanings experienced in relation to a theme. The method is rooted in the phenomenological tradition, but incorporates innovative aspects, including the systematic use of aphorisms, a specific coding system with qualitative criteria that encompasses elements of the researcher's experience, and the use of existential categories to frame results within a phenomenological context. This approach includes a graphical output, the map of meanings, which extend the analysis by providing a visual representation of the structures of meanings in relation to the theme.