PHS Assessment

PHS

Submitted by: Aadya Kakar, M.A. 1st

1styear

Q) For this assessment, your write-up should follow

followaa structured approach to
to address the four
key requirements while integrating the phenomenological method of
key inquiry by
ofinquiry by Edmund Husserl.
Here’s a breakdown of
Here'sa what towrite
ofwhat to write for each section:
section:

Answer)

1. Description of the Phenomenon of Interest and

ofInterest and the Process of Interview

Betrayal

The phenomenon chosen for

The this phenomenological research is ‘betrayal’ as it isa
forthis is a deeply lived
subjective experience individuals encounter at least once in in their lifetime. Betrayal basically
the emotional impact of letting oneself down by
refers to the by someone trusted. This breach of of trust
by significant others depends on one’s
by one's emotional investment in in the relationship and
and expectations
based on prior experiences. Betrayal shakes the foundation of trust, leaving emotional wounds
can affect how
that can how we
we see
see ourselves and
and others. This phenomenon intrigues me me due
due to its ability
to contain complex emotions depending on the the individual perception and and the context, for
instance, anger, shame, guilt, disbelief, selfself blame etc. TheThe same act can feel more or
actcan or less
significant based on the
the situation and
and relation dynamics (for example, betrayal by byaa stranger vsvs
bya a family member). Additionally, this phenomenon is one
betrayal by one of
of those lived experiences
the individual to become more resilient,
that prompts the resilient, reframe their mindset and
and lead them to self
self
growth. Studying betrayal could help us understand how
growth. how people process emotional pain, rebuild
and find meaning in
trust, and in adversity.
adversity. It also sheds light on on group as well as individual
psychological themes like group dynamics, conflict management, attachment vs self
psychological self esteem,
regret, growth etc. On
Ona a personal level, the
the phenomenon was something
somethingII formed an association
due to my
with due my past
past experiences which resulted in me me exploring howhow the same phenomenon is
by
interpreted differently by different people.

For the same purpose,I

For purpose, I chosea
chose a 21
21 year
year old
old male participant(
participant (pseudonym:
seudon VS) who
VS) who recently
experienced aa sense of betrayal from his his close friends andand family members that had had him
him
“brokenhearted”.
“brokenhearted’. The
The participant served as one
one of my
my acquaintances whowho lost his
his father recently.
His bereavement process
His process assisted me
me to identify that he
he encountered betrayal during his grief
grief
journey. Prior to the interview, I I formed aa strong rapport with him
journey. him by
by asking about his his
and providing unconditional positive
well-being and positive regard to
to let him
him build trust in meme and
and in the
the
successive conversation. He was
conversation. He was ensured of the confidentiality of the interview and and his consent
was taken. The
was The interview was
was taken in natural settings to avoid reluctance or less information
given in
in case of the presence of family or other friends as it could impact the
the details of the
the study.
I I began with semi structured,
structured, open-ended questions,
questions, such as, “Can you describe the time when
you experienced betrayal?”, “How did
you diditit feel intrinsically?” etc to encourage free
free fiowing
flowing
discussions about his
his OWN
OWN experience and and avoid the participant getting led inain a certain
direction. The
The interview lasted for around 48 minutes.
minutes.

2. The
The Content and the Nature of
and the the Interview
oftheInterview

VS described his sense of betrayal being more profound

VS profound after thethe death of his
his father. Not
Not only inin
the case of friendship, he
the he also experienced it in
in his
his family as well. HeHe spent most of of hislife
his life in
in
Delhi but shifted to Jaipur5
Jaipur 5 years back. He
He shared how
how he struggled to make friends back then
as most ofof them were nownow staying far
far away. When he he finally found
foundaa few, he he began doing
everything for
for them as has always prioritized friendships over material gains. He
as he has He further
continued that his close friends abruptly stopped talking to him him after they no
no longer needed him him
and that was
was when theparticipant's
the participant’s father was
was detected with 4th stage cancer that left him him
He stated how
vulnerable. He how his father nearly forgot everything, his home and even theparticipant
andeven the participant
i.e. his
his only son. VS’
VS’ days went by roaming around the the corridors of the ICU. He He also
experienced
experiencedaa breakdown and only wanted someone to to talk to in such tough times. Through
Throughaa
common friend of Delhi, his close friends of Jaipur who who abandoned him him in the past called him
inthepast him
and
and promised and assured him him of their support and
and that they would visit himhim the
the next day. VSVS
waited outside the hospital whole day till late night for
for his friends who
who promised him him to
to drop by,
by,
but they didn’t
didn't contact him
him or inform the
the reason why
why they couldn’t
couldn't come. Even after the the death of
his father, they didn’t
his didn't communicate with himhim or provide closure till date which eventually made
him left helpless.
helpless.

The other betrayal experience that he

The he shared was
was that of his relative (his father’s
father's younger cousin,
pseudonym: GS) who was
GS) who was closely treated as asaa best friend and
andaa real brother by by VS’
VS’ father. This
was prompted by asking if
was if he experienced the the same emotion in in a different context. After a
context. Aftera
collective decision by by the family, VS’
VS’ father was
was chosen as the
the one who
who would equally distribute
the monetary amount (returns) of their interest amongst all the
the the brothers andand the cousins. Due
Due to
health issues (cancer), his father gave the the older cousin's
cousin’s money also to GS GS expecting that he he
would distribute it with him. However, this did not happen and the
did not the elder cousin started blaming
VS’ father for the same, and it also invoked guilt in his father. Before going for
VS’ for the
the surgical
procedure, his father posteda
posted a lengthy letter on the common whatsapp family group stating the
on the
significance of healthy relations and and trust. When lost hope, he also told GS GS to give the money
who back then promised to
back, who to do the
the same butnever
but never did it. It was
was his
his father’s
father's last wish. After
his father’s
his father's demise, when GS to ask for the rest of his amount, VS
GS came toaskfortherest VS suggested himhim to either
to his father’s elder brother or the leftover amount of
return the amount back tohisfather's GS would go tothat
ofGS to that
brother to reconcile for it. On the contrary, GS
On the GS took thethe whole amount and never came back.
Burdened with the the societal pressure of respecting the elders, VS VS couldn’t
couldn't bring the money back,
failing to fulfill the
the last wish of his father and
ofhisfather and suffered betrayal post his father's
father’s death.
The interview was
The was quite refiective
reflective as
as the
the participant actually vented out hisfeelings
his feelings and me
and told me
why he
the reasons why he felt so, especially in relation to the context.I
context. I constantly validated his
feelings, bracketing my my own
own from thethe interview to avoid biases. He He started sharing the
the details
easily,
easily, however, in the midst of the
in the the interview, especially while talking about hisfather,
his father, his
his voice
started cracking and
and it was
was observed that he he tried to control his tears while conversing.
conversing. ByBy not
falling into either side of the continuum (eg, saying “yes, you're
you’re absolutely correct here” or “no,
you did wrong ordidn't
you or didn’t try harder”) and him advices as well regarding how
and not giving him how to forget
the experience,
experience, neglect or distract from the the same,
same,II was
was able to takea
take a neutral and
and empathetic
stance allowing him
him to own
own and his lived experience.
and acknowledge hislived experience.

3. Phenomenological Analysis of the Interview

Husserel’s method begins witha

Husserel's with a description of an
an experience from an everyday perspective that
is to
to be
be understood psychologically. The The participant described the phenomenon ofof interest
“betrayal” in an
an experiential, faithful and
experiential, faithful and detailed manner which allowed forfor one’s
one's own
own
subjective response to the whole situation to emerge.

To truly understand the phenomenon,I

To phenomenon, I had set aside anyany preconceived notions of what betrayal
“should” look like for me
me (époche). Instead, I tried to immerse myself
(époche). Instead,I myself in
in theparticipant's
the participant’s raw,
lived experience while bracketing my my biases. In his story, betrayal appears in moments of of
absence, silence, and
and unmet expectations. It’s about feeling abandoned by
expectations. It's friends who
byfriends who promised
support and
and unseen by family members during his
byfamily his most vulnerable moments.

The excerpts then were demarcated in

The meaningful units to make theanalysis
inmeaningf‘ul the analysis finer and
and emphasize
significant aspects of the experience that were later consolidated to arrive at a a common
psychological meaning. Specific segments of the
the verbatim conveyed different meanings related
to the phenomenon. The following themes and and their meanings according to the transcription
reduction:
were emerged through the process of eidetic reduction:

1. Verbatim: “I “I got
got so mentally unstable when my my father got
got detected with cancer and and at
point I really want someone totalk
that pointI to talk to me,
me,I I wanted someone tobe to be there with me”
me”
● Eidetic Reduction:
Reduction: Betrayal during times of emotional vulnerability intensifies the the sense
of isolation, as as the
the need for
for connection andand support is unmet, leaving the individual
feeling abandoned inmoments
in moments ofdistress.
of distress.
2. Verbatim: “After my my father's
father’s death, none of my close friends who
of my who promised to to be with
me, came toeven
me, to even meet me, neither before the event happened nor after it.I it. I expecteda
expected a lot
from them and trusted them butthey
but they broke my my trust.”
● Eidetic Reduction: Betrayal from close friends, particularly during critical life events,
disrupts the foundation of trust and
and amplifies feelings of disappointment, highlighting the
fragility of
of perceived social bonds.
3. Verbatim: “For others, it could bea be a small thing, butbut for me
me it was
wasa a big
big deal, nono one
one was
was
by my
by my side to support me”me”
 •● Eidetic Reduction: The The experience of betrayal is deeply subjective; what may may seem
insignificant to others holds profound emotional weight for the individual, emphasizing
forthe
the unique meaning attached to personal struggles.
theunique
4. Verbatim: “People expected from me me astheson
as the son of the family to be
ofthefamily be strong in such
suchaa crisis
but where couldI
but could I open up? People start ignoring me me whenI
when I need help.I
help. I cou1dn't
couldn’t even
argue with mymy uncle for the better cause as he's
forthe he’s elder to me”
me”
•● Eidetic Reduction: Betrayal can can manifest as societal and and familial expectations that
suppress vulnerability, leaving individuals feeling unseen and unsupported in in their
emotional pain.
5. Verbatim: “I “I don’t
don't say it that often but for me me friendships are of high importance.
importance.II had
had
7-8 friends earlier butbut now
nowI I have just
just one, that tooItoo I don't
don’t know forfor how long.”
●
• Eidetic Reduction: Betrayal disrupts the individual’s individual's sense of belonging, leading toa to a
reevaluation of relationships and anda a loss of trust that impacts future connections.
connections.
6. Verbatim: “I “I also trusted my my uncle to give my my father's
father’s money back after his death but he
didn’t
didn't do
do so.
so.I I felt like
likea a failure as it was
was hishis last wish”
● Reduction: Monetary betrayal within the family deepens emotional wounds, as
• Eidetic Reduction: as it
intertwines with unfulfilled responsibilities and and the burden of of honoring thethe deceased's
deceased’s
wishes (in the
the case of bereavement)
7. Verbatim: “I “I had expectations from my my younger uncle( uncle ( who
who took thethe money and never
andnever
gave it back)
back ) to to call me
me and
and ask for my
ask for my well being because my my father was
was too
too close to
him but he
him he never did so so.. On the contrary,
On the contrary , the older uncle(
uncle ( whose money was notgiven
not given
the younger uncle) asked me
back by theyounger me if ifI I needed anything despite the dispute started by by
my younger uncle amongst us .”
my
●
• Eidetic Reduction: Betrayal within familial relationships creates createsa a complex emotional
situation, where unfulfilled expectations coexist with moments of of unexpected support,
leading to conflicting feelings of gratitude and resentment.
and resentment.
8. Verbatim: “On“On top of that I am
top of thatI am furious about the fact thatI
the that I sent messages tomy
to my younger
uncle’s son
uncle's who is my
son who my cousin but he ignores my my messages. The Uncle’s son is too
The Uncle's too young
to be dragged into such serious matters amongst the
to the elders. Apart from monetary
betrayal, it is purely emotional betrayal as well.”
●
• Eidetic Reduction: Betrayal often transcends monetary concerns, extending to emotional
wounds caused by by perceived indifference and and a a breakdown in in familial communication,
further alienating the individual from those they expect to rely on.

Imaginative variation was

was then used on these transformed meaning units in order to see what is
truly essential about them and then one one carefully describes the most invariant connected
meanings belonging to the experience, and that is the
experience, and the general structure. the
structure. Usually, it is the
relationship among meanings that constitutes
constitutesa a structure (Giorgi, 1985). Betrayal might manifest
differently while retaining its core essence:
 •• If friends had
If had been physically present but emotionally distant, the the participant
would still feel abandoned, as the
the betrayal lies in the
the lack of meaningful connection.

•• Same goes in the case of family disputes too. If the

in the the financial betrayal was
was
resolved but emotional neglect persisted, the
the participant would still carry the emotional burden of
of
feeling unsupported.

•• If societal expectations to be
If be “strong” had
had been alleviated, the
the participant might
have found space to express vulnerability.

To conclude, it was
To was found that betrayal is isa a deeply personal
personal andand painful
painful experience that leaves
lasting emotional scars, especially when it comes from those we we trust the
the most. For For the
participant, betrayal took on many forms- broken promises from friends, unmet expectations
participant,
from family, andand emotional neglect during one one of the most vulnerable times of his his life. When hishis
father fell ill and support: a comforting presence,a
and later passed away, he needed support:a presence, a listening ear butbut
instead, he
he was
was met
met with silence andand indifference. This absence of care increased his sense of
isolation, making him feel abandoned when he he needed connection the most. In the family, family,
betrayal became even more complicated. It wasn't wasn’t just about broken promises but also about
unfulfilled responsibilities. TheThe participant trusted relatives to honor his his father's
father’s final wishes,
which they apparently promised, only to face disappointment when those promises were ignored.
This added
addedaa layer of guilt and and frustration,
frustration, as he he felt powerless to fulfill what hisfather
his father had
had
hoped for. AtAt the
the same time, small acts of kindness from others in the family stood out, creating
aa mix
mix of gratitude and and resentment that made comprehending these relationships even harder.
Friendships, once
onceaa source of stability, became fragile.
fragile. The
The participant,
participant, who
who valued his his friends
deeply, saw
saw these relationships break. Promises to to be there in times of need were forgotten, and and
this absence hurt more than words could express. It wasn't wasn’t just about losing friends, it was was about
losing the belief
belief that these bonds could be relied on on when life got got tough.
tough. Betrayal, for the
participant, wasn’t just a
participant, wasn't justa single event but a
buta series of ruptures that reshaped how he saw
how his
saw his
relationships, his family, andand himself. It left him
him questioning who who hehe could trust and
and struggling to
rebuild a sense of connection and
rebuilda and belonging. This experience shows that betrayal isn’t just about
isn'tjust
broken trust but
but it’s
it's about the
the emotional loneliness,
loneliness, thethe loss of security, and
ofsecurity, and the lingering painpain of
of
being let down by by those who
who were supposed to be be there. It’s a wound
there. It'sa wound that takes time, and
time, care, and
resilience to heal.
heal.

WRT the Method and Personal Reflections

4. Discussion WRT

Phenomenological research is qualitative research that aims to to understand lived experiences of

an individual related toa
to a specific phenomenon, for example, shame. It allows us to gather rich
forexample,
and detailed information of the subjective experience of the participants i.e. how
and how they think about
in its entirety, focusing on
the world. It captures phenomenon inits on all the
the aspects of it like emotional,
social, physical. The
The phenomenon thatIthat I chose was
wasaa subjective and
and tough topic to measure, ifif
studied quantitatively, so
so phenomenology helped me me to
to do
do the
the same. Even theperspectives
the perspectives of
marginalized voices cancan bebe represented using this approach. Unlike mainstream psychology and
its research, it allowed me me to witness real world insights and and helped meme explore different
perspectives on
perspectives on the same phenomenon
phenomenon (e.g. how howI I feel it vs
vs how
how others do
do it and
and what it actually
conveys).
conveys). Moreover, its emphasis on meaning making, in in mymy opinion, assisted meme to understand
and people's
behavior and people’s coping mechanisms asa as a future therapist. ForFor my
my participant,I
participant, I felt, this
process allowed him him toto finally
finally voice his hidden emotions and and thoughts and
and feel
feel valued and
and
heard, thereby also inculcating empathy in me.
heard, me. Lastly, it’s
it's generally found as as an appropriate
method ifif there's
there’s little research ona
on a particular phenomenon. Ashworth & & Chung (2006) used
phenomenology to to understand individuals’
individuals' experiences of social anxiety, focusing on on the
subjective interpretation of social interactions.
interactions.

However, there were also some challenges that I I faced in The process of
in this research. The
interviewing,
interviewing, meaning making, analyzing waswas lengthy and
and time consuming.
consuming. It was
was quite difficult
to bracket my
my own
own experiences from those of mymy participant.
participant. The
The phenomenon thatI
that I chose and
the experience that he
the he encountered was
was so deep thatI
that I got
got troubled to takea
take a neutral stance onon it.
participant from aa non-psychology background and who
Finding a participant who has experienced aa
phenomenon of of mymy interest (a sensitive one) was, in the first place, a a tedious task.
in the
Phenomenology, in in general, can
can only be done on small sample sizes as it captures lived
experiences of people that can
can be
be laborious, hence compromising its generalisability. It might be
also possible that lack of scientific measures make the the analysis less accurate.
accurate. Lastly,
phenomenology may may exclude individuals who who struggle to verbalize their thoughts due due to
language barriers or cognitive impairment.
impairment.