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Related Experiment Videos

A case is not a fact

D Widlöcher

    The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis
    |December 1, 1994
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Psychoanalytic knowledge arises from clinical practice, not scientific experiments. Case reports illustrate clinical views, with quality depending on data economy, thesis adequacy, and persuasiveness.

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    Area of Science:

    • Psychoanalysis
    • Clinical Psychology

    Background:

    • The publication of clinical data in psychoanalysis is debated.
    • Existing literature is sometimes seen as identity-boosting rather than knowledge-generating.
    • Psychoanalytic knowledge generation differs from traditional scientific methods.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To explore the role and value of publishing clinical data in psychoanalysis.
    • To define the criteria for high-quality psychoanalytic case reports.
    • To differentiate psychoanalytic case illustration from scientific proof.

    Main Methods:

    • Analysis of the nature of psychoanalytic knowledge acquisition.
    • Examination of the function of clinical vignettes and case reports.
    • Discussion of the criteria for evaluating psychoanalytic case publications.

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    Main Results:

    • Psychoanalytic knowledge stems from clinical practice, not empirical observation.
    • Clinical case reports serve to illustrate specific theoretical viewpoints.
    • Effective case reports require data economy, relevance, and persuasive power.

    Conclusions:

    • Psychoanalytic case reports are not objective data but illustrative tools.
    • Understanding a case involves 'semantic holism' and a 'world of knowledge'.
    • The psychoanalyst acts as an interpreter, presenting their inferred understanding of the patient's mental state.