The psychoanalytic unconscious is a slippery set of phenomena to pin down. There is not an accepted standard form of research, outside of the clinical practice of psychoanalysis. In this book a number of non-clinical methods for collecting data and analysing it are described. It represents the current situation on the way to an established methodology. The book provides a survey of methods in contemporary use and development. As well as the introductory survey, chapters have been written by researchers who have pioneered recent and effective methods and have extensive experience of those methods. It will serve as a gallery of illustrations from which to make the appropriate choice for a future research project. Methods of Research into the Unconscious: Applying Psychoanalytic Ideas to Social Science will be of great use for those aiming to start projects in the general area of psychoanalytic studies and for those in the human/social sciences who wish to include the unconscious as well as conscious functioning of their subjects.
Hartvig Dahl This is a book about the future that we hope will arouse the curiosity of clinicians and point a direction for researchers. It marks the surprisingly rapid evolution of psychodynamic psychotherapy research from an applied toward a basic science, and, as its title implies, describes strategies to follow rather than results to live by. It was not always thus. A quarter of a century ago the editors of two volumes of psychotherapy research reports summarized the state of the field then: Although there has been a great accumulation of clinical observations and experimental findings, the field has made relatively little progress. There has been little creative building on the work of others (Parloff and Rubinstein 1962). Psychological research generally has tended to be insuffi ciently additive. Research people often find it hard to keep informed of related work done on the same site and else where, and therefore do not build upon each other's foun dation (Luborsky and Strupp 1962).
A Practical Psychoanalytic Guide to Reflexive Research offers an accessible guide to enriched qualitative research. In this novel approach, the researcher’s feelings and empathy in relation to participants take centre stage, leading to fresh, exciting and usable research findings. The psychoanalytic concept of reverie refers to those startling and unexpected images, feelings and daydreams which can come to mind as we interact with other people in the world. Qualitative research involves interacting with human subjects, and the book shows how uncanny or troubling reverie experiences can be turned to good use by being linked back to deeper research questions and hypotheses. Joshua Holmes critically explores the role of self-reflection (reflexivity) in psychoanalysis and qualitative research. Practical guidance is offered while planning research; conducting research interviews; analysing interview data; teaching methods which foster the capacity for reverie; and in relation to research groups. Examples are given throughout, including the author’s own missteps along the way, in which he shares the importance of learning from experience. The book breathes life into research processes offering much-needed clinical relevance. The method moves away from one-size-fits all, formulaic research procedures and brings tenor, colour and texture into the research process, to create vivid, real-life meaningful findings. A Practical Psychoanalytic Guide to Reflexive Research will be essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate qualitative researchers wishing to enhance their reflexive practice, while psychotherapists and psychoanalysts will find a genuinely psychoanalytic research method, where their clinical skills become vital capacities rather than an awkward hindrance.
Researching the Unconscious provides an exposition of key issues in the philosophy and methods of the social sciences that are relevant to psychoanalysis, both as a clinical practice and as a human science. These include the debates initiated by Thomas Kuhn’s theory of scientific revolutions, the "actor-network theory" of Bruno Latour, the ideas of philosophical realism, distinctions between "meaningful" and "causal" explanation, and the relevance of complexity theory and "part–whole analysis" to psychoanalysis. The book goes on to discuss specific forms and methods of psychoanalytical research, including the role of case studies, of outcome research, and of "grounded theory" as a key methodological resource, of which it provides a detailed example. The book concludes by outlining principles and methods for psychoanalytic research in the wider contexts of infant observational studies, society, and culture. Michael Rustin provides a unifying account of the methodological principles that underlie the generation of knowledge in psychoanalysis, in the light of recent developments in the philosophy and sociology of science. In doing so, it provides a coherent rationale for psychoanalytic investigation, which will be of value to those pursuing research in this field. Researching the Unconscious is unusual in its being based both on a deep understanding of and respect for psychoanalytical clinical practice and on its author’s wider knowledge of the philosophy and sociology of science. It is unique in its comprehensive approach to the principles of psychoanalytic research.
This book provides readers with essential information on the foundations of psychotherapy research, and on its applications to the study of both psychotherapy process and outcome. The aim is to stimulate a reflection on these issues in a way that will benefit researchers and clinicians, as well as undergraduate and graduate students, at different levels and from different perspectives. Accordingly, the book presents a balanced mix of chapters summarizing the state of the art in the field from different viewpoints and covering innovative topics and perspectives, reflecting some of the most established traditions and, at the same time, emerging approaches in the field in several countries. The contributors, who were invited from among the experts in our national and international professional networks, also represent a healthy mix of leading figures and young researchers. The first part of the book addresses a number of fundamental issues in psychotherapy research at a historical, philosophical, and theoretical level. The second part of the book is concerned with research on psychotherapy processes; in this regard, both quantitative and qualitative approaches are given equal consideration in order to reflect the growing relevance of the latter. The book’s third and last part examines research on psychotherapy outcomes, primarily focusing on quantitative approaches. Offering a balanced mix of perspectives, approaches and topics, the book represents a valuable tool for anyone interested in psychotherapy research.
`A densely packed book with interesting and valuable research gleaned from a wide variety of therapy approaches, Narrative and Psychotherapy furnishes the reader with a cogent historical appraisal of the way psychotherapy, culture and storytelling fit together.... A good reference book for counsellors and students.... The authors' students, and clients, must be very happy that he has the interest and the capacity to tune in to others in such a fresh manner' - Counselling, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling The core of psychotherapy can be seen as a process in which the client comes to tell, and then re-author, an individual life-story or personal narrative. The author of thi
In this landmark volume-- already acclaimed as "certain to become a milestone in the history of psychoanalysis and ego psychology"-- Joseph Weiss' theory of the psychotherapeutic process is presented and supported by the systematic, quantitative research carried out by Sampson, Weiss, and the Mount Zion Psychotherapy Research Group. This remarkable work delineates clear-cut implications for doing therapy and for conceptualizing the therapeutic process. The theory extends and develops concepts that Freud introduced in his later writings. It assumes that psychopathology stems from certain grim, unconscious, pathogenic beliefs that the patient acquires by inference from early traumatic experiences. The patient suffers unconsciously from these beliefs and the feelings of guilt, shame, and remorse that stem from them. He is, therefore, powerfully motivated unconsciously to change them. Moreover, the patient is able to exert considerable control over unconscious mental life and, indeed, to make and carry out unconscious plans. He works unconsciously throughout his treatment to change pathogenic beliefs, both by testing them in relation to the analyst and by using insights conveyed by the analyst's interpretations. Since the theory is close to observation it enables the clinician to monitor the patient's progress--to understand, throughout the treatment, how the patient improves, or is set back, by the analyst's interventions. The quantitative, empirical research presented bears directly on this theory. It offers strong evidence that the patient exerts control over the emergence of previously repressed mental contents, bringing them to consciousness when he unconsciously decides he may safely experience them. Supporting the hypothesis that the patient tests pathogenic beliefs throughout treatment in an effort to disconfirm them, it shows that the patient is very likely to respond favorably to interpretations that he can use in his struggle to disconfirm his pathogenic beliefs--but unfavorably to interpretations he cannot use for this purpose. A model of how rigorous psychoanalytic research can both sharpen and modify theoretical constructs and also lend support to a clinical approach, this distinguished volume will be valued by theoreticians, clinicians, researchers, and anyone interested in how the mind works. It provides a clear, accessible, and empirically testable approach to psychoanalytic practice.
Reading Klein provides an introduction to the work of one of the twentieth century’s greatest psychoanalysts, known in particular for her contribution in developing child analysis and for her vivid depiction of the inner world. This book makes Melanie Klein’s works highly accessible, providing both substantial extracts from her writings, and commentaries by the authors exploring their significance. Each chapter corresponds to a major field of Klein’s work outlining its development over almost 40 years. The first part is concerned with her theoretical and clinical contributions. It shows Klein to be a sensitive clinician deeply concerned for her patients, and with a remarkable capacity to understand their unconscious anxieties and to revise our understanding of the mind. The second part sets out the contribution of her ideas to morality, to aesthetics and to the understanding of society, introducing writing by her associates as well as herself. The book provides a lucid account of Klein’s published writing, presented by two distinguished writers who know her work well and have made creative use of it in their own clinical and extra-clinical writing. Its aim is to show how substantial her contribution to psychoanalytic thinking and clinical practice was, and how indispensable it remains to understanding the field of psychoanalysis. Reading Klein will be a highly valuable resource for students, trainees in psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic practitioners and all who are interested in Melanie Klein and her legacy.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Research: Evidence-Based Practice and Practice-Based Evidence continues the important work of the first book published in 2009 by Humana Press (Handbook of Evidence-Based Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Practice). This landmark title presents in one volume significant developments in research, including neuroscience research, in psychodynamic psychotherapy by a team of renowned clinician-researchers. The demand for ongoing research initiatives in psychodynamic psychotherapy from both internal and external sources has increased markedly in recent years, and this volume continues to demonstrate the efficacy and effectiveness of a psychodynamic approach to psychotherapeutic interventions in the treatment of psychological problems. The work in this volume is presented in the spirit of ongoing discussion between researchers and clinicians about the value of specific approaches to specific patients with specific psychiatric and psychological problems. Multiple forms of treatment interventions have been developed over the past fifty years, and this volume makes clear, with firm evidence, the authors’ support for the current emphasis on personalized medicine. Groundbreaking and a major contribution to the psychiatric and psychologic literature, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Research: Evidence-Based Practice and Practice-Based Evidence provides firm grounding for advancing psychodynamic psychotherapy as a treatment paradigm.
Behavioral change in psychoanalytic treatments -- Psychoanalytic understanding of factors that impede behavioral change -- Identifying and addressing risks in targeting behavioral change -- Psychodynamic techniques in addressing behavioral change -- A framework for targeting behavioral change -- Identifying dynamic contributors to problematic behaviors -- Identifying alternative behaviors -- Identifying interfering factors in performing alternative behaviors -- Working with the degree and impact of behavioral change -- Specific behavioral problems and engaging the patient in addressing them -- Addressing behavioral problems related to adverse developmental experiences and trauma
