Walking the middle ground between hermeneutics and science: A research proposal on psychoanalytic process.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research
• Psychoanalysis

Background:

• The concept of psychoanalytic process lacks a consensual definition despite extensive research.
• Existing research methodologies may not adequately capture the complexity of the psychoanalytic process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a scientific, innovative, and clinically sensitive research program for studying the psychoanalytic process.
• To develop psychotherapy research grounded in two-person psychology hypotheses.
• To investigate the interactional nature of analytic work and the interplay between conscious and unconscious levels.

Main Methods:

• Systematic case studies
• Events paradigm for accessing salient phenomena
• Micro-analytic approach to interactional sequences

Main Results:

• The article outlines a novel research program integrating theoretical hypotheses with empirical investigation.
• It demonstrates the application of micro-analysis to a clinical case example.

Conclusions:

• The proposed research program offers a framework for empirically studying the psychoanalytic process.
• This approach aims to bridge the gap between psychoanalytic practice and psychotherapy research.