Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, Method and research (Second edition)

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was developed and introduced by Jonathan Smith when he put together the epistemological underpinnings of phenomenology and hermeneutics along with idiography (Smith, 2008). He then worked with Michael Larkin and Paul Flowers towards developing a comprehensive handbook for IPA. The first edition was in 2009 (Smith et al., 2009) and the second edition came out this year after IPA’s long journey in the world of qualitative research. This new edition reflects these developments and expansion of applications of the method. I have read the first edition many times since I started drawing on IPA guidelines for my research in 2010 (Fragkiadaki et al., 2013). The robust philosophical framework and the idiographic element of IPA fit my research purposes and, as I discovered later on, the way I perceive the world and my work as a counselling psychologist