Use of Case Studies

Psychoanalytic psychology and its later versions have been used to explain
normal and abnormal personality development. Regardless of their perspectives,
psychologists in all these schools have relied upon the case study
methodology to communicate their theoretical insights and discoveries.
The theoretical roots of orthodox psychoanalysis may be traced to the famous
case of “Anna O.,” a patient under the care of Josef Breuer, Freud’s
friend and colleague. Fascinated with the hysterical symptoms of this young
girl and with Breuer’s success in using catharsis (the talking cure) with her,
Freud asked Breuer to collaborate on a work titled Studien über Hysterie
(1895; Studies in Hysteria, 1950) and discuss his findings. It was the world’s
first book on psychoanalysis, containing information on the unconscious,
defenses, sexual cause of neurosis, resistance, and transference. Freud’s own
self-analysis and analyses of family members and other patients further contributed
to the changing nature of his theory. Among his great case histories
are “Dora” (hysteria), “Little Hans” (phobia), the “Rat Man” (obsessional
neurosis), the “Schreiber” case (paranoia), and the “Wolf Man” (infantile
neurosis). His method of treatment, psychoanalysis, is also well documented
in later cases, such as the treatment for multiple personality described in the
book Sybil (1974).

In his classic work Childhood and Society (1950), Erikson discussed the applicability
of the clinical method of psychoanalysis and the case-history technique
to normal development in children. His case analyses of the Sioux
and Yurok Indians and his observations of children led to the creation of a
psychosocial theory of development that emphasized the significant role
played by one’s culture. Moreover, Erikson’s psychohistorical accounts,
Young Man Luther: A Study in Psychoanalysis and History (1958) and Gandhi’s
Truth on the Origins of Militant Nonviolence (1969), illustrated the applications
of clinical analyses to historical and biographical research so prominent today.
The founders of other psychoanalytic schools of thought have similarly
shown that their theories can best be understood in the context of the therapeutic
situations and in the writings of case histories. Harold Greenwald’s
Great Cases in Psychoanalysis (1959) is an excellent source of original case histories
written by Freud, Jung, Adler, Horney, and Sullivan. Jung’s case of
“The Anxious YoungWoman and the Retired Business Man” clarifies the differences
and similarities between his theory and Freud’s psychoanalytic
model. In “The Drive for Superiority,” Adler uses material from several cases
to illustrate the themes of lifestyle, feelings of inferiority, and striving for superiority.
Horney’s case of “The Ever Tired Editor” portrays her use of the
character analysis method; that is, she concentrates upon the way in which a
patient characteristically functions. Sullivan’s case of “The Inefficient Wife”
sheds some light on the manner in which professional advice may be given
to another (student) practitioner. In retrospect, all these prominent theorists
have exposed their independent schools of thought through case histories.
Even today, this method continues to be used to explain human behavior
and to enhance understanding of personality functioning. 652