Image Analysis

In addition to a practice of action and life constituted through language, the diverse worlds of images in which individuals are involved are also significant for their thinking, feeling, desiring, willing, doing, and refraining. The psychological is also iconically mediated, people communicate in and with images. This chapter outlines the development of image hermeneutical approaches and their theoretical and methodological premises, taking into account a cultural-psychological perspective. In this context, theoretical reference points to image science (Bildwissenschaft) and visual culture studies as well as methodological references to art history are highlighted. Then specific methodological approaches to the analysis of images are presented and potential analysis settings are differentiated in order to formulate relevant guiding questions for a cultural-psychologically informed image hermeneutics. Finally, three examples of the implementation of image-analytical methods are outlined.