Operational definition and measurement of dynamics shown in the stream of free associations.
Psychiatry May 1, 1986 L S Benjamin
Psychoanalysts consider the sequence of thoughts in a patient's stream of consciousness during free association to be important for successful therapy, but rigorous methods to study these sequences have been lacking. This paper proposes that Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) can operationally define and study such dynamics. The method is demonstrated on a woman who became suicidal after seemingly "nice" phone calls from her mother. Nonclinicians applied SASB codes to her verbalizations, and computer analysis revealed underlying dynamics. The authors contend that SASB offers a way to objectively identify different dynamics across cases and link them to therapeutic interventions and outcomes.