The role of clinical inference in psychoanalytic case formulation

This article examines the role of clinical inference in the construction of psychoanalytic case formulations. The principles of analogy, especially in the context of contiguity, the repetition and convergence of themes, the theoretical predilections of the observer, and the assumptions one makes about the operation of the mind are among the major factors that influence the nature of the clinical inferences generated by psychodynamically oriented clinicians. Several clinical examples are presented to highlight the operation of these factors and how they can lead to alternate theoretical formulations.