The Psychoanalysis of Music Improvisation: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study

Rhett-Lawson Mohajer; Tara Rava  Zolnikov

doi:10.29333/ajqr/13461

Rhett-Lawson Mohajer ¹ ^* , Tara Rava Zolnikov ²

More Detail

AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp. 160-171

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13461

OPEN ACCESS 1083 Views 964 Downloads

Download Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

Research shows that clinicians use music, either as music therapy or as an adjunct to talk therapy, in providing treatment to patients with a history of trauma, ones struggling with depression and anxiety, as well as in treating patients whose diseases have organic etiologies. However, the endopsychic structural permutations as the result of encountering music are understudied. The unique qualities of psychoanalysis mean researchers can use it as a tool to study unconscious transmutations and processes. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative research was to understand the endopsychic structure changes during and after music improvisation based on the subjective experiences of 20 adult individuals. The researcher used unstructured interviews. The results show that participants moved toward partial ego positions during improvisation and felt whole after the intense moments of improvisation that involved the experience of heightened emotions. The research result can help inform treating patients with an array of psychological disorders including personality disorders and eating disorders.

Keywords: Endopsychic structure, improvisation, object relations, psychic splitting.

References

Bensimon, M. (2021). Integration of trauma in music therapy: A qualitative study. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 14(3), 367-376.
Biswas, D., Lund, K., & Szocs, C. (2019). Sounds like a healthy retail atmospheric strategy: Effects of ambient music and background noise on food sales. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 47(1), 37-55. https://doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11747-018-0583-8
Bloomberg, L. D., & Volpe, M. (2019). Completing your qualitative dissertation: A road map from beginning toeEnd (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Bu, S., & Paré, D. A. (2018). A hermeneutic phenomenological exploration of counsellors’practice of mindful acceptance. Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 52(2). 140–158. https://cjc-rcc.ucalgary.ca/article/view/61154
Celani, D. P. (2010). Fairbairn’s object relations theory in the clinical setting. Columbia University Press publishing.
De Mijolla, A. (Eds.). (2005). International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis, Vol. 1 (P. Beitchman, J. Barque, R. Bononno, A. Brown, D. Collins, L. Gavin, J., G., Simmons, S. Leighton, D. Nicholson-Smith, S. Savaiano, P. Sutton, & G. Wells, Trans.). Thomson Gale Publishing.
de Witte, M., Spruit, A., van Hooren, S., Moonen, X., & Stams, G. J. (2020). Effects of music interventions on stress-related outcomes: a systematic review and two meta-analyses. Health Psychology Review, 14(2), 294-324. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2019.1627897
Emery, A., & Anderman, L. H. (2020). Using interpretive phenomenological analysis to advance theory and research in educational psychology. Educational Psychologist, 55(4), 220–231. https://doi-org.csu.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/00461520.2020.1787170
Evers-Fahey, K. (2017). Towards a Jungian theory of the ego. Routledge publishing.
Fairbairn, W. R. D. (1994a). A revised Psychopathology of the psychoses and psychoneuroses. Psychoanalytic study of personality (pp. 28-58). Brunner-Routledge Publishing. (Original work published in 1941).
Fairbairn, W. R. D. (1994b). A synopsis of the development of the author’s view regarding the structure of the personality. PsychoanalyticsStudy of personality (pp. 162-179). Brunner-Routledge Publishing. (Original work published in 1951).
Fairbairn, W. R. D. (1994c). Endopsychic structure considered in terms of object relationships. Psychoanalytic study of personality (pp. 82-132). Brunner-Routledge Publishing. (Original work published in 1944).
Fairbairn, W. R. D. (1994d). Schizoid factors in the personality. Psychoanalytic studies of the personality (pp. 3-27). Brunner-Routledge Publishing. (Original work published in 1940).
Fossey, E., Harvey, C., McDermott, F., & Davidson, L. (2002). Understanding and evaluating qualitative research. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 36(6), 717-732. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1614.2002.01100.x
Gibeault, A. (2010). Phantasy and representation: Introduction. In D. Birksted-Breen, S. Flanders, & A. Gibeault (Eds.), Reading French psychoanalysis (pp. 267-285). Routledge publishing.
Groarke, J. M., Groarke, A., Hogan, M. J., Costello, L., & Lynch, D. (2020). Does listening to music regulate negative affect in a stressful situation? Examining the effects of self‐selected and researcher‐selected music using both silent and active controls. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 12(2), 288-311. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12185
Guillen, D. E. F. (2019). Investigación cualitativa: Método fenomenológico hermenéutico. [Qualitative research: Hermeneutic phenomenological method].Propositos y Representaciones, 7(1), 201-215. http://dx.doi.org.csu.idm.oclc.org/10.20511/pyr2019.v7n1.267
Guo, W., & Yu, W. (2020). Improvement effect of music appreciation on mental health of audience: An analysis based on cognitive psychology. Revista Argentina de Clínica Psicológica, 29(1), 931-937. https://dx.doi.org/10.24205/03276716.2020.129
Hollway, W., & Jefferson, T. (2013). Doing qualitative research differently: A psychosocial approach (2nd edition). SAGE Publications.
Jones, R. A. (2013). Jung's "psychology with the psyche" and the behavioral sciences. Behavioral Sciences, 3(3), 408-417. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bs3030408
Kayser, D. (2017). Using facial expressions of emotion as a means for studying music-induced emotions. Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain, 27(3), 219–222. https://doi.org/10.1037/pmu0000187
Lacan, J. (2006). Aggressiveness in psychoanalysis. In Écrits: The first complete edition in English (pp. 82-101, B. Fink, Trans.). W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. (Original work published in 1948).
Laplanche, J., & Pontalis, J. B. (2010). Fantasy and the origins of sexuality. In D. Birksted-Breen, S. Flanders, & A. Gibeault (Eds.), Reading French psychoanalysis (pp. 310-337). Routledge publishing. (Original work published in 1964).
Lauterbach, A. A. (2018). Hermeneutic phenomenological interviewing: Going beyond semi-structured formats to help participants revisit experience. The Qualitative Report, 23(11), 2883-2898. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3464
Lebovici, S. (2010). Object relationships in children. In D. Birksted-Breen, S. Flanders, & A. Gibeault (Eds.), Reading French psychoanalysis (pp. 286-309). Routledge Publishing. (Original work published in 1961).
Levy, R. (2019). The polyphony of contemporary psychoanalysis: The multiple languages of man. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 100(4), 656-673. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00207578.2019.1636251
Liang, J., Tian, X., & Yang, W. (2021). Application of music therapy in general surgical treatment. BioMed Research International, 2021, Article 616983. https://doi-org.csu.idm.oclc.org/10.1155/2021/6169183
Maxwell, J. A. (2005). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
McWilliams, N. (2011). Psychoanalytic diagnosis: Understanding personality structure in the clinical process (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press publication.
Mészáros, J. (2018). Ferenczi’s paradigm shift in trauma theory. In A Dimitrijević, G. Cassullo, & J. Frankel (Eds.), Ferenczi’s influence on contemporary psychoanalytic traditions (pp. 115-121). Routledge publishing.
Meystre, C. (2012). Medical identity in psychotherapy training: Effect on medical practice. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 2 https://dx.doi.org.csu.idm.oclc.org/10.1136/bmjspcare-2012-000196.105
Moser, A., & Korstjens, I. (2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 3: Sampling, data collection and analysis. European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 9-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2017.1375091
Ole, M. N., & Sælør, K. T. (2018). How meaningful activities influence the recovery process. Advances in Dual Diagnosis, 11(3), 114-125. http://dx.doi.org.csu.idm.oclc.org/10.1108/ADD-01-2018-0002
Peng-Li, D., Chan, R. C. K., Byrne, D. V., & Qian, J. W. (2020). The effects of ethnically congruent music on eye movements and food choice: A cross-cultural comparison between Danish and Chinese consumers. Foods, 9(8), 1109. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/foods9081109
Popa, L. C., Manea, M. C., Velcea, D., Șalapa, I., Manea, M., & Ciobanu, A. M. (2021). Impact of Alzheimer’s dementia on caregivers and quality improvement through art and music therapy. Healthcare, 9(6), 698. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9060698
Scharff, D. E. (1996). The nature and aims of psychoanalytic treatment. In De. E. Scharff (Ed.), Object relations theory and practice: An introduction (pp. 98-109). Jason Aronson Publishing.
Stark, M. (1994). Working with resistance. Jason Aronson Inc. Publishing.
Tang, Q., Huang, Z., Zhou, H., & Ye, P. (2020). Effects of music therapy on depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS One, 15(11), Article e0240862 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240862
Tumuluri, I., Hegde, S., & Nagendra, H. (2017). Effectiveness of music therapy on focused attention, working memory and stress in type 2 diabetes: An exploratory study. International Journal of Yoga, 10(3), 167-170. http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0973-6131.213471
Volkman, S. (1993). Music therapy and the treatment of trauma-induced dissociative disorders. The Arts in Psychotherapy.
Welch, G. F., Biasutti, M., MacRitchie, J., McPherson, G. E., & Himonides, E. (2020). The impact of music on human development and well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 1246. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01246
Winnicott, D. W. (1987). Dependence in child care. Babies and their Mothers (pp. 83-88). Addison-Wesley publishing. (Original work published in 1970).
Winnicott, D. W. (2018). Classification: Is there a pycho-analytic contribution to psychiatric classification? The maturational processes and the facilitating environment (pp. 124-139). Routledge. (Original work published in 1964).
Xue, J. (2020). Social psychology analysis on the formation of endogenous music learning preference. Revista Argentina de Clínica Psicológica, 29(1), Article 1132. http://dx.doi.org/10.24205/03276716.2020.161
Zhang, S., Liu, D., Ye, D., Li, H., & Chen, F. (2017). Can music-based movement therapy improve motor dysfunction in patients with Parkinson’s disease? systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurological Sciences, 38(9), 1629-1636. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10072-017-3020-8

Citation

Mohajer, R.-L., & Zolnikov, T. R. (2023). The Psychoanalysis of Music Improvisation: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(3), 160-171. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13461

Mohajer, R.-L., and Zolnikov, T. R. (2023). The Psychoanalysis of Music Improvisation: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(3), pp. 160-171. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13461

Mohajer RL, Zolnikov TR. The Psychoanalysis of Music Improvisation: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2023;7(3), 160-171. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13461

Mohajer, Rhett-Lawson, and Tara Rava Zolnikov. "The Psychoanalysis of Music Improvisation: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2023 7 no. 3 (2023): 160-171. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13461

Mohajer, Rhett-Lawson et al. "The Psychoanalysis of Music Improvisation: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 7, no. 3, 2023, pp. 160-171. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13461

Mohajer RL, Zolnikov TR. The Psychoanalysis of Music Improvisation: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2023;7(3):160-71. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13461