The human experience of reparation : a phenomenlogical investigation

The purpose of this study was to describe the human experience of repairing interpersonal relationships. The selection of present procedures was guided by an empirical phenomenological methodology. Fourteen wellfunctioning adults volunteered to participate in openended, dialogic interviews concerning their experience of past reparation situations. A hermeneutic "narrative analysis" systematically reduced transcripts to summaries. Analysis of summaries revealed a set of inter-related themes which together were sufficient to describe participant experiences.

Participants embedded narratives in both temporal and interpersonal contexts. Such statements provided a background for describing two figural experiences: that of relationship breach and that of coming to terms with breach. Awareness of interpersonal breach was described in terms relating to locus of responsibility, changes in relational boundaries, and degree of urgency.

Three distinct modes of coming to terms with the experience of breach were described: retaliating (moving against the other), retaining (moving away from the other) and repairing (moving toward the other). Nine different interpersonal situations were described when the (perceived) mode of coming to terms of both parties were considered. Reciprocal repairing was described as the only situation which allowed restoration of dialogue and a closing of the rift imposed by the breach.

Results were discussed with reference to biological, religious, legal and psychological contexts which bound the experience of reparation in Western culture. Applications were suggested for conflict resolution and psychotherapy. The merits and promise of phenomenological research and narrative analysis also were discussed, as were the means of assuring rigor in phenomenological analyses.