The topic of an individual’s experience has recently become the subject of close attention of scientists. Personal experience as a phenomenon is studied by researchers in various fields of activity: philosophy, history, psychology, sociology, and etc. The concept of a person’s personal experience has become fundamental in phenomenological philosophy. The founder of phenomenology was Husserl, and his understanding of experience formed the basis of sociological definitions of experience.
According to the Cambridge dictionary, an experience is “the process of getting knowledge or skill from doing, seeing, or feeling things” (Cambridge dictionary, 2021). It a term that cannot be considered outside of history, culture, and social ties of an individual because that is what connects biography with history. Therefore, the basis of all other experiences in the phenomenology of the social world is communication. Only through correlation with each other can people become aware of themselves and enrich their experience by discovering the world around them. The modern interpretation of the concept of “experience” includes its determinism by the human society. Based on this position, two types of experience can be distinguished: the experience of humanity as a whole, as a result of its entire history, and the individual experience of a person, who, to one state or another, absorbed that of humanity.
In conclusion, the way of learning and mastering the surrounding world by personal experience has become a significant part of all the evolutionary process. The sociological concept of the phenomenon and its multidimensional nature determines the existence of a number of areas of its use in sociological science. It is important to consider that a crucial component in the examination of the term “experience” is communication. This can be explained by the fact that only through social contact can people understand the processes of human nature and implement their knowledge into their daily lives.
Reference
Cambridge University Press. (n.d.). Experience. In Cambridge dictionary.