Explicating the implicit: the local level and the microprocess of change in the analytic situation

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Understanding the micro-level interactions in psychoanalytic treatment is crucial for explaining therapeutic change.
• Existing research often overlooks the detailed, moment-to-moment processes within therapy sessions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel method for examining micro-events in the analytic process.
• To introduce a framework and terminology for studying the 'local level' of psychoanalytic interaction.
• To explicate a theory of therapeutic action based on these local-level processes.

Main Methods:

• Borrowing methodologies from developmental research to analyze micro-events.
• Defining constructs and terminology for the 'local level' of moment-to-moment interaction.
• Developing a step-by-step model of 'fitting together' within the therapeutic process.

Main Results:

• A method for observing and analyzing the micro-events of analytic interaction is presented.
• A theoretical framework for therapeutic action at the 'local level' is explicated.
• The core mechanism identified is a sequential 'fitting together' process.

Conclusions:

• Changes in implicit knowing and emotional procedures are outcomes of the local-level 'fitting together' process.
• This approach offers a detailed lens for understanding the dynamics of change in psychoanalytic therapy.
• The proposed framework enhances the study of interactive processes in psychotherapy.