An Lievrouw – Psychoanalysis and Research – A Matter of Ethics
 
THE LETTER 28 (Summer 2003) pages 96-108
 
In our society, the notion of knowledge has become dependent on the notion of science. The latter holds that knowledge can be collected and classified through formal abstraction and that it can be made accessible, provided that methodological rules are respected. By following a methodological guiding system, scientists aim at getting as close as possible to reality in as objective a way as possible. In line with this trend non-analysts and analysts often discuss the scientific status of psychoanalysis. The general tenor of these discussions is that psychoanalysts should concentrate on the scientific foundations of psychoanalysis. A remarkable trend in these discussions is the tendency to consider science as equivalent to statistically based research.