Saadat 1

Nina Saadat

Dr. Delgado

Psychology 275

11 October 2020

Science Assignment

Neither psychoanalysis nor transactional analysis is unambiguously pseudoscientific.

Both have enjoyed years of popularity and attention in the mainstream psychological

establishment, and both have since waned. Furthermore, each has a smaller community of

researchers who continue to publish papers using it as a theoretical basis. These factors affect the

state of research and current valuations of the therapy's efficacy and scientific reliability.

There is an immense body of research on psychoanalysis, dating back to Freud's initial

papers. One early example was an 1891 paper titled “Symbolic neurology psychology,

psychoanalysis, psychoneuroses, psychoses”, which discusses psychoanalytic psychology as a

primary medical framework (Glove). Later papers would address the practice with much more

skepticism. For instance, a 1940 paper titled “Evaluations of Psychoanalysis” cites a damning

study that found twelve of fifteen suffering from "...profound psychiatric disease..." only "...one

had a specific therapeutic triumph." Twelve of the fifteen were "'dismal failures'" (Ebaugh et al.).

Contemporary research concerns both psychoanalysis's validity as a therapeutic practice and its

impact on literature and philosophy. Psychological research quality varies, but most proponent

psychoanalysis journals are refereed.

The body of research concerning transactional analysis is more limited, as the topic is

newer and has had a relatively minimal effect on mainstream psychology. The majority of

research is in the major proponent journals: the International Journal of Transactional Analysis
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Research & Practice, Transactional Analysis Journal, and The Transactional Analyst. The

Transactional Analyst is not peer-reviewed, and all of the journals are arguably biased. Other

research comes from journals concerning organizational management. For example,The Journal

of Management Development, which does not list psychology as one of its topics, published

“Enhancing managerial cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity: Transactional analysis

revisited” in 1993 (Park, Harrison).

While psychoanalysis' prevalence in establishment psychology has decreased, the

commentary surrounding it has not. Furthermore, academics have been conducting

psychoanalysis research reasonably consistently over the last one hundred years. According to

PubMed's Timeline Results by Year tool, research associated with psychoanalysis has steadily

increased since 1911. Surprisingly, 2015 was the height of psychoanalysis research frequency,

with 347 studies. For comparison, PubMed only lists 34 studies from 1945.

The continued pervasiveness of proponent psychoanalysis journals reinforces the claim

that psychoanalysis research is active. For example, the number of International Journal of

Psychoanalysis's citations has increased from 1,188 in 1997 (when the InCites Journal Citation

Report begins) to 2,532 in 2020, although its Journal Impact Factor has decreased (Clarivate

Analytics). Neuropsychoanalysis, a much newer psychoanalysis journal, boasts an increase of 45

citations between 2017 and 2019 (Scimago).

Research concerning transactional analysis is less abundant than that of psychoanalysis,

but it has increased since the theory's inception. APA PsychInfo, an American Psychological

Association database, lists 582 transactional analysis publications produced between 1972 and

1982. Between 2002 and 2012, there were 750 publications. Although this number has fallen

somewhat (there were 506 between 2012 and 2020), the data does not indicate a significant
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decline in research. Transactional analysis journals consistently release research; the

Transactional Analysis Journal has published quarterly since 1971, Transactional Analyst also

publishes quarterly, and the International Journal of Transactional Analysis Research and

Practice published a volume as recently as June of 2020. Overall, within the transactional

analysis community, research is alive and well.

The literature surrounding psychoanalysis examines the theory's scientific claims and its

cultural and philosophical impact. Frosh's "Psychoanalysis, Colonialism, Racism" article is an

excellent example of the latter; it challenges psychoanalysis' "...individualistic focus and general

history of neglect of sociohistorical concerns..." (Frosh) from a postcolonial studies perspective.

Bell's "Is truth an illusion?" discuss the theory's epistemological posture and position between

the modernist and postmodern philosophical movements.

Scientists continue to investigate psychoanalysis; multiple notable studies test

psychoanalysis's effectiveness as a therapy, testing different populations for different time

lengths. For instance, "Mothers' Experiences of Mother‐Infant Psychoanalytic Treatment—"

(Salomonsson and Barimani) analyzed mothers' responses to mother-infant psychoanalysis via

interviews and thematic analysis. Other clinical trials, such as "Outcome of Psychoanalytic and

Cognitive-Behavioural Long-Term Therapy with Chronically Depressed Patients: -" from the

Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, compares "...the effectiveness of long-term cognitive-

behavioural therapy (CBT) and long-term psychoanalytic therapy (PAT)..." (Leuzinger-Bohleber

et al.).

Research surrounding transactional analysis includes case studies and the theory's impact

on organizational and management techniques. One case study, for instance, examined the

effects of transactional analysis therapy on patients diagnosed with long term health conditions.
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After assembling a case record for three clients, all of whom were women in their mid-40s to

mid-50s, the researchers observed that they reported a high level of satisfaction with the course

(McLeod).

Not all of this research is credible. One paper published in Management Science Letters

titled "A social work study on effectiveness of transactional analysis training on social

adjustment: -" (Zadeh et al.) describes the effect of transactional analysis therapy on 40 drug

addicts in Esfahan, Iran. The study, which concluded with a positive evaluation of the therapy's

impact, is rife with basic grammatical errors and lacks critical factors. Some examples of missing

information include the substances to which the patients were addicted and the therapy's length.

The journal's publisher, Growing Science Publishing Company, has been flagged on Beall's list

as potentially predatory.

Some reputable journals have published research evaluating the psychoanalysis's

effectiveness. The Journal of Affective Disorders, to which Scimago attributes a Q1 rating,

published a paper called "Quasi-experimental study on the effectiveness of psychoanalysis-"

(Knekt et al.). The study, which compared 326 outpatients with mood disorders or anxiety

undergoing short and long-term psychotherapies with 41 psychoanalysis patients over five years,

found that "Psychotherapy gives faster benefits than psychoanalysis, but in the long run

psychoanalysis seems to be more effective" (Knekt et al.).

Psychiatry Research, which has a Q1 Scimago rating in psychiatry and mental health but

a Q3 rating in biological psychiatry, published a study called "Effectiveness of psychoanalysis

and long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy on personality and social functioning 10 years

after start of treatment" (Lindfors et al.) In this study, researchers contrasted 41 psychoanalysis

patients with 128 long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy patients over ten years. One of its
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conclusions is that while psychoanalysis provides "...relatively limited additional long-term

benefits..." (Lindfors et al.), psychodynamic psychotherapy may be favorable because of its

similar results and cost-effectiveness.

Clinical Psychology Review, a Q1 journal in both clinical psychology and psychiatry and

mental health (Scimago), published "The effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic

psychotherapy—" (Smit et al.). This meta-analysis compared long-term psychoanalytic

psychotherapy to "...to other treatments or no treatment, in patients with clearly defined mental

disorders." using "...randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials on LTPP (long-term

psychoanalytic psychotherapy)." (Smit et al.). The researchers found "...evidence on whether

LTPP has an effect on the recovery from various mental disorders conflicting." (Smit et al.), and

that more research using control groups and “...populations for which LTPP is frequently used in

regular practice...” (Smit et al.) are necessary to make meaningful conclusions about

psychoanalysis's efficacy.

There are fewer credible studies regarding transactional analysis' efficacy. Journal of

Personality Disorders, which received a Q1 rating from Scimago in clinical psychology and

psychiatry and mental health, released a study called "Cost-Effectiveness of Short-Term

Inpatient Psychotherapy Based on Transactional Analysis in Patients With Personality Disorder"

(Horn et al.). The study "...compared the costs and effects of short-term inpatient psychotherapy

based on transactional analysis (STIP-TA) with other psychotherapies (OP) in a matched

controlled study..." (Horn et al.) and concluded that "..patients generated lower costs and

reported a significantly better quality of life, in terms of QALYs (quality-adjusted life-years)

gained..." (Horn et al.).

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Another study published in the Leadership & Organization Development Journal

provided less favorable results. The paper, called "Evaluating Transactional Analysis as a

Change Strategy for Organizations", notes a few studies examining transactional analysis

training in workplaces that indicate generally positive results, but notes that they are "...marked

by a lack of negative reactions or critical feedback." (Neath) and expresses skepticism that none

was available.

Overall, small sample sizes and lack of quality, non-Western studies limit research on

both topics. Furthermore, especially concerning transactional analysis research in the workplace,

peer pressure within the participant group may be altering the results. Lack of incentive may

prevent mainstream psychology researchers from investigating these topics scientifically. While

both may be well-known in the field, they also seem to have reached the peak of their

prevalence. However, it would be interesting to learn about the therapies' effects as supplements

to other, better-regarded therapies, including cognitive-behavioral therapy. Additionally,

researchers should investigate the effects of both therapies on clients without diagnosed mental

illnesses but experiencing normal stress levels. The effect of psychoanalytic treatment on non-

Western populations would be especially compelling information, as it may supplement or

detract Frosh’s critique. Its practice would likely change in other cultures, but only research

could illustrate how.

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Works Cited

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“Beall's List.” Bealls List, Word Press, beallslist.net/.

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Psychoanalysis, vol. 90, no. 2, 2017, pp. 331–345.

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Emam Jomeh Zadeha, Seyedeh Maryam, et al. “A Social Work Study on Effectiveness of

Transactional Analysis

Frosh, Stephen. “Psychoanalysis, Colonialism, Racism.” Journal of Theoretical and

Philosophical Psychology, vol. 33, no. 3, 2013, pp. 141–154.

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Horn, Eva, et al. “Cost-Effectiveness of Short-Term Inpatient Psychotherapy Based on

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Disorders, vol. 30, no. 4, 2016, pp. 483–501.

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Preferential and Randomized Allocation.” Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 64, no. 1,

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Lindfors, Olavi, et al. “Effectiveness of Psychoanalysis and Long-Term Psychodynamic

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