Psycho-Social Research: Working Below the Surface

• Credit value: none
• Tutor: Pam Shaw (KSS Deanery)

This module introduces you to a significant new field of study in the human sciences in the UK, emerging from psychoanalytic theory, particularly the relational turn, group relations theory, infant observation and organisational consultancy from psycho-analytic and systemic perspectives. Psycho-social inquiry explores the role played by the unconscious in the personal and organisational construction of realities and perceptions of 'others.' It is concerned with areas where unconscious forces may affect enquiry and action, through an 'inner dynamic' that is reflected in choice of subject and setting; their disguise as professional interest or organisational imperative; and the way in which they mediate encounters between individuals, groups and organisations. It examines the dynamic between self and other and the negotiation of meaning and appreciation of each other's subjectivity.

indicative module Syllabus

• What is Psycho-social Research?
• Free Association Narrative Interviewing
• Group Relations and Intergroup Relations
• Observing Organisations
• Negotiating Entry into Organisations

By the end of this module, you will have:

• been introduced to psycho-social research
• drawn on your own experience of clinical observation and extended it to an observation of the self, via reflexivity and attunement
• drawn on group relations theory to explore the concept and practices of 'the organisation in the mind'
• been introduced to methods of psycho-social research as a way of exploring the practicum in core module 2
• been introduced to theoretical constructs and practical approaches for negotiating entry into the field for the practicum in core module 2.