What is Verstehen?

Question

Hiya, can somepne help me? I don't understand the definition of Versthen in Methods of Research in Sociology - Can anyone explain this to me as clearly as posible? Thanks! :D

Answer 1

Ha, here's a word I thought I'd never see again outside of Historiography 3000. Verstehen: a German concept that embodies a complete understanding of something. It's a way of approaching hermeneutics that takes its view from the personal and, as I said, complete understanding of the subject. Of course you will never completely understand something, but in contrast to the outside, third person, objective view of things, verstehen hermeneutics can be very useful in interpretting a set of data.

Answer 2

verstehen basically means emotional ties and how your gonna sympathise with the respondent if you need to.

good luck, if your sitting the paper on tuesday! :)