The Ethnopsychoanalytic Perspective

The following chapter presents ethnopsychoanalysis as a possible perspective of cultural psychological research and theory formation. After an introductory clarification of terms, the historical development from psychoanalytic ethnology to ethnopsychoanalysis, with a focus on the Zurich group, Paul Parin, Goldy Parin-Matthèy, and Fritz Morgenthaler, is outlined. Using a field research project with students as an example, experiences in cultural contact with a focus on the phenomenon of transference and its analysis in dream interpretation are illustrated. This is intended to provide an insight into the ethnopsychoanalytic research practice which is characterized by dynamic, processual, and relational concepts.