Behind Closed Doors: Sadomasochistic Enactments and Psychoanalytic Research

Abstract

Psychoanalytic research has flourished in recent years, yet so has animosity toward it. This curious state of affairs has led to a divergence of opinions in a professional community that is demanding more (and more rigorous) evidence regarding treatment efficacy. In this article, we briefly review the ways in which psychoanalytically oriented research has served to strengthen psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic treatments in the professional community. We discuss ways in which this research has been devalued within some psychoanalytic circles and suggest that such efforts can be considered as a sadomasochistic enactment that impedes the advancement of the psychoanalytic endeavor. We close by offering strategies for how to overcome these negative ideas and actions so that psychoanalytic ideas will continue to gain traction in contemporary psychiatry and psychology.