Description

Gender unconscious in depth psychological qualitative research: Reflections and case examples

OKSANA YAKUSHKO PHD*, HEIDI BUCKLAND PHD+, YOLANDA FULLINWIDER PHD+ AND KRISTI PIKIEWICZ PHD+

*Chair, Clinical Psychology Program, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America;

+Alumni, Clinical Psychology Program, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

Abstract

This contribution presents a discussion and an illustration of integrating gendered and depth psychological awareness in qualitative research with particular attention given to aspects of the unconscious foundations and experiences in research with and by women. Three case examples, including an autoethnographic study focused on maternal body in psychotherapy, a phenomenological study of military women deployed to combat zones, and a Grounded Theory study of women who mother chronically ill children, illustrate this integration. Specifically, the authors discuss experiences of personal and collective woundedness, interconnection, and transformation.

Keywords: unconscious, gender, feminism, qualitative, research, methods