Pragmatic is the capacity to see the practical side of things and make decisions accordingly. This is a useful trait when making business decisions, but it can also be useful in hypnosis, as being pragmatic helps you to connect with your client on an emotional level. However, there are some disadvantages to being a pragmatic person and it is important to be aware of them so that you can work with your strengths to overcome any weaknesses.
Pragmatism is a philosophical movement that emphasizes the importance of practical knowledge and action for solving problems (Collins 2017). A key principle in pragmatism is “what works matters” (Quine 1951). This means that what is true or false has no bearing on reality, only how it affects real people. This makes pragmatism at odds with traditional views of truth.
Being pragmatic in a professional setting is about being aware of your environment and taking into account the implications of your actions for all involved. For example, if you are meeting with clients in a restaurant, being pragmatic means knowing that others may be eating, drinking, and talking to each other, so you must be aware of how your presence might impact their experience.
In hypnosis, being pragmatic means that you can take into account the physical and emotional state of your client. This awareness allows you to tailor your approach to each individual, ensuring that the session is comfortable and productive for them. It also means that you can identify and address any issues a client might have before they become a problem.
In the context of research, being pragmatic is about incorporating an understanding of the limitations of scientific knowledge and techniques in order to develop a flexible methodology that can be applied to any situation. This includes being willing to abandon a flawed theory in favor of one that has more promise. Being pragmatic is also about acknowledging that a problem cannot be solved without considering all the possible causes.
A pragmatic approach to research involves the process of identifying a problem, designing and selecting methods, reflecting on the choices made, and reconsidering the question. It is based on an “if-then” relationship, in which the researchers’ reflection on the nature of the problem leads them to conclude that certain actions will produce specific outcomes.
This article explicates pragmatism as a relevant and useful paradigm for qualitative research on organizational processes. It uses examples from the authors’ own doctoral projects on non-government organizations to illustrate how an emphatic emphasis on actionable knowledge, recognition of the interconnectedness between experience, knowing and acting and inquiry as an experiential process strengthens each stage of the research process from project design to data collection to analysis and reporting. It is hoped that this article will inspire future research that utilizes a pragmatic methodology to further explore the role of pragmatism in facilitating and supporting a patient-oriented approach to research.