Heidegger and the Subject

Abstract

This paper extracts key themes from Heidegger's philosophy and critically applies them to issues of relevance to psychology. A case is made that Heidegger's arguments concerning ontology before the subject/object distinction, his discussion of enframing, his concern with the understanding of being, and his distinction between modes of being are all important for a rethinking of psychological practice. Heidegger's contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics and existentialism are discussed and clarified in terms of distinctions between truth and correctness, the ontological and the ontic, and Being and beings. The conclusion points psychology towards a `deep reflexivity'.