Abstract

This psychological research project utilized the heuristic model to explore the experience of personal freedom. The heuristic model was employed due to the existential nature of the inquiry and in view of my decision to include tacit and intuitive dimensions of the research participants' experience. The study was conducted through in-depth interviews and analyses of my own and the co-researchers' experience of personal freedom. An exhaustive literature review revealed applicable theoretical and philosophical works that provided conceptual grounding for the investigation. Personal freedom had not previously been heuristically researched. The methods and procedures for gathering and analyzing data followed heuristic methods and standards. The data collected revealed nine core qualities essential to personal freedom: Acceptance of self, Acceptance of Circumstances, Choice, Non-conformity, Authenticity, Responsibility, Spirituality, Humility, and Letting Go. Individual and composite depictions, individual portraits, and a creative synthesis of the experience were constructed from analyses of the tape-recorded interviews with co-researchers. Implications of personal freedom, an outline for a future study, and limitations of my research methods and findings were summarized