Chaussecourte, Philippe
On the question of the “researcher's countertransference” in psychoanalytically oriented clinical research in education sciences
- 2017.
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In this article, the author details his current position on the question of countertransference phenomena as they affect those involved in clinical research with a psychoanalytical orientation relating to the fields of education and training. He pays particular attention to the inter-relations between the concepts of engagement and countertransference. He also revisits G. Devereux’s princeps article De l’angoisse à la méthode dans les sciences du comportement, expressing surprise at the limited number of psychoanalytical references cited with respect to the concept of countertransference. Using claims made in an article by Ophélie Avron, he defines and illustrates his own position. Firstly, this involves recounting a clinical episode in which the very personal implications that come into play in the application of a research methodology are revealed. Having presented the episode, the author then proposes an enriched comprehension of the methodology’s implications. Finally, in counterpoint, the author presents an account of an elaborative piece of work that was necessary to carry out as part of the research, but which he did not discuss previously, because it would not have added in any way to the scientific understanding of the object of study.