Toward a Meta-Psychological Methodology: Reflections on Maslow and the Role of Experiencing and Perspective in Scientific Methods

Abstract

In this brief article, I consider two concepts that Maslow advances in Toward a Humanistic Biology that relate to the role of scientific observation in psychological research and were forward-thinking at his writing. These are the importance of the humanistic concept of experiencing as a way of developing understanding, and the recognition of the impact of the perceptive capacities of observers. I consider these concepts in light of advances in critical and qualitative psychology, integrating concepts such as epistemic privilege and the use of experiencing as a method toward critical science—offering a contemporary foundation for a meta-psychological methodology.