Reflective practice: an existentialist perspective

Abstract

There has been an increasing interest in reflective practice in recent years, but the theory base underpinning it remains relatively underdeveloped. We have seen a move away from essentialist ‘technicalism’ to a more constructivist exploratory approach consistent with existentialist philosophy. This paper therefore explores how existentialism can be used as a more sophisticated and wide‐ranging theory base to underpin the future development of reflective practice.

Keywords:

• existentialism
• phenomenology
• theory development
• critique of essentialism