On the verification of psychoanalytic concepts by extraclinical techniques

A discussion of "Unconscious Symbiotic Fantasy: A Ubiquitous Therapeutic Agent" by Lloyd H. Silverman, Ph.D. Extraclinical research on propositions derived from the psychoanalytic process are useful and complementary. The rigor of statistical, reproducible experimental approaches adds strength to analytic knowledge. Caution is recommended, however, in interpreting results, because each method has its own natural yield and significance. The effect of stimulating unconscious symbiotic fantasies as inferred from clinical settings and transferred to an experimental model might be examined from the standpoint of situational and propositional homology, adequacy of methods of verification, experimental bias, and interpretation of the results. Dr. Silverman and his colleague's work is discussed from the vantage points outlined.