Ideal-Typical Subjective Theories—A Theoretically-Based Concretization of the Combination of Summarizing Qualitative Content Analysis and Empirically Grounded Type Formation

Abstract

In this article, we present a conceptual proposal for a methodological procedure for a qualitative theory generating elaboration of ideal-typical subjective theories. Against the background of assumptions on subjective theories we show that the quality of this epistemological goal can be adequately captured by a combination of a qualitative content analysis and an empirically grounded construction of types and what function the individual procedural steps have in this respect. With this theoretically substantiated concretization of what is categorized and typified we react on the one hand to a methodological desideratum and on the other hand encourage the further development of qualitative content analysis with regard to the existing potential—such as abductive category formation—also in respect of a theoretical foundation based on the epistemic quality of the result.