Varieties of psychoanalytic research

Abstract

The author of this paper discusses three different research traditions in the psychoanalytic field, arguing that all of these are necessary to its growth and development. The traditions are those of empirical scientific study into the outcomes of psychoanalytic treatment, the development of psychoanalytic theory and technique within the clinical consulting room, and explorations on the boundaries between psychoanalysis and many neighbouring disciplines. On the first of these depends the legitimacy of psychoanalytic practice in public health settings, on the second the continued advance of fundamental knowledge within psychoanalysis, and on the third the broader influence of psychoanalytic ideas within the broader culture. It is argued that psychoanalytic institutions need to give more attention to all of these, and to develop a more active relationship to academic methods of enquiry.