The scientific standing of psychoanalysis

Journal title PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE
Author/s Mark Solms
Publishing Year 2018 Issue 2018/1
Language Italian Pages 10 P. 7-16 File size 80 KB
DOI 10.3280/PU2018-001001
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The core scientific claims of psychoanalysis are summarized, and synthetic answers are given to the following three questions: (a) How does the emotional mind work, in health and disease? (b) What does psychoanalytic treatment aim to achieve? (c) How effective is it? While there are disagreements regarding specific details, there is a general agreement on some core claims of psychoanalysis. These core claims enjoy strong empirical support and are "evidence-based". Psychoanalytic treatment is highly effective, often superior to cognitive-behavior therapy and to medication.

Keywords: Psychoanalysis and scientific research; Neurobiology; Mental functioning; Theory of psychoanalytic therapy; Efficacy of psychodynamic therapy

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Mark Solms, Psicoanalisi e ricerca scientifica in "PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE" 1/2018, pp 7-16, DOI: 10.3280/PU2018-001001