The Journal of Analytical Psychology has just made a significant paper by Christian Roesler, available open access. In the paper The Process of Transformation – The Core of Analytical Psychology and How it Can Be Investigated Roesler explores the long-standing debate over the definition of archetypes in Jungian theory, identifying four distinct theoretical strands in Jung’s work. Roesler critiques Jung’s biologistic and anthropological interpretations of archetypes, suggesting they have been largely refuted by contemporary research. Instead, he emphasizes the enduring relevance of Jung’s concept of a universal form of transformation in psychotherapy, which he argues is central to the discipline. The paper calls for rigorous research to investigate the psychological transformation process more systematically, a gap Roesler highlights as critical in advancing the field.
The Boston Change Process Study Group (BCPSG), a group of psychotherapy researchers used a multidisciplinary, data-driven approach to understanding therapeutic change. This methodology, which focuses on relational processes and implicit exchanges within therapy, has had a major impact on psychoanalytic theory.
Another example of empirical research designed to measure the efficacy of psychodynamic therapy is Jonathan Shedler’s paper The Efficacy of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in which in a meta-analysis of multiple studies Shedler demonstrates how empirical methods can reveal the essential components of successful therapeutic outcomes.