Psychoanalytic Process Research Strategies Ii

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).

Recognition of the need for empirical research and interest in its findings are growing in psychoanalysis. Many psychoanalysts now acknowledge that research is imperative to try to deal with the factors propelling the diminution in status and prestige of the discipline, as well as the number of patients in intensive psychoanalytic treatment. In addition, there is increased pressure to expose and acquaint candidates with analytic research in the course of their education. From Psychoanalytic Narrative to Empirical Single Case Research revivifies the experimental potential of psychoanalysis by focusing a number of structured research methods on a single case study. Drs. Kächele, Schachter, and Thomä, in tandem with the Ulm Psychoanalytic Process Research Study Group, bring their formidable tools and knowledge to bear on Amalia X, a former patient of Dr. Thomä’s, whose case history is well-documented, preserved and available for formal empirical study. After providing an intensive review of the problematic aspects of clinical psychoanalytic research and an exegesis on the use of the case study itself, the specific case history of Amalia X, which dominates and centers the remainder of the book, is thoroughly examined. The following two chapters – utilizing clinical and linguistic models, respectively – deconstruct Amalia’s psychopathology along a variety of methodological axes in an effort not only to uncover the roots of her presenting symptoms, but also to reify and validate the strange bedfellows of psychoanalysis and empiricism in general. The book would be incomplete, however, without its final chapter, which provides suggestions and insights into the clinical applications and implications of their combined 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

This 1986 work was the capstone for a sequence of about 70 articles and monographs by almost 20 authors, published over a quarter of a century, that chronicled the Psychotherapy Research Project of the Menninger Foundation. The 30-year project studied the treatment (beginning in the 1950s) and subsequent lives of 42 patients, half of them in psychoanalysis and half in psychoanalytically informed, expressive and supportive psychotherapies. The major findings and conclusions of the research are described in over 100 pages in the final section of the volume, which when it was first released was called the most ambitious and comprehensive psychotherapy research program ever carried out. In a preface, Wallerstein expresses hope that the less expensive softcover edition might give the volume a renewed lease on life. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Psychoanalytic Studies of Change presents recent studies of the process and outcome of psychoanalytic therapy with an integrative perspective. A recurrent challenge in the discussion of therapeutic outcome is the gap between empirical, quantitative studies, reporting results on a group level, and the clinician’s interest in complex mechanisms of change presupposing microanalysis of dynamic interaction processes. This book bridges that gap via dynamic contributions from a variety of authors. Quantitative and qualitative studies are connected, epistemological and conceptual research is emphasized as specific domains, and in-depth clinical case studies are highlighted. The book comprises several new contributions to epistemology and conceptual research, as well as chapters discussing the challenge of combining qualitative and quantitative methods in studying process and outcome. Psychoanalytic Studies of Change will not only meet a need specifically within psychoanalysis for up-to-date research but also provide an overview of the latest empirical research on psychoanalysis for a broader clinical and academic group of readers. It will appeal to psychoanalysts in practice and in training.

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.

Outcome Research and the Future of Psychoanalysis explores the connection between outcome studies and important and complex questions of clinical practices, research methodologies, epistemology, and sociological considerations. Presenting the ideas and voices of leading experts in clinical and extra-clinical research in psychoanalysis, the book provides an overview of the state of the art of outcome research, its results and implications. Furthermore, its contributions discuss the basic premises and ideas of outcome research and in which way the contemporary Zeitgeist might shape the future of psychoanalysis. Divided into three parts, the book begins by discussing the scientific basis of psychoanalysis and advances in psychoanalytic thinking as well as the state of the art of psychoanalytic outcome research, critically analyzing so-called evidence-based therapies. Part II of the book contains exemplary research projects that are discussed from a clinical perspective, illustrating the dialogue between researchers and clinicians. Lastly, in Part III, several psychoanalysts review the importance of critical thinking and research in psychoanalytical education. Thought-provoking and expertly written and researched, this book is a useful resource for academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of mental health, psychotherapy, and psychoanalysis.

Contributions in this volume cover ways of knowing, the dynamics of research encounters, new methods of psycho-social inquiry, and the first-hand experience of being a researcher. Since the first volume of Researching Beneath the Surface was published by Karnac in 2009, psycho-social research has become more established but is also more scrutinised by a new generation of researchers, practitioners, and clinicians. This volume offers a timely exploration of the latest developments in psycho-social research, bringing together a series of papers in which both longstanding contributors to the field and new researchers explore tensions, possibilities, and innovations in psycho-socially inspired research. Showcasing advances in psycho-social research methods, the book focuses on methodological dilemmas, innovations in method and methodology, and on experiences of conducting psycho-social research in challenging contexts. It also focusses on the contested but pivotal role of psychoanalysis in psycho-social research and explores what can be added by transdisciplinary use of deep ecology, continental philosophy, and relational approaches as alternative or supplementary ways of knowing. Further Researching Beneath the Surface: Psycho-social Research Methods in Practice offers fresh insight into the practical and emotional issues of conducting oneself as a psycho-social researcher and learning from experience. It will be of great interest to psycho-social, qualitative, organisational, and psychoanalytically-oriented researchers, as well as postgraduate students in these fields.

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.