Analysis

In the field of psychology the term analysis can be used in two different ways.

The first meaning refers to the process of evaluating written materials and research data to check for accuracy and for the use of appropriate methodology. Data analysis is when the information collected in a research study is measured and tested in order to glean results.

The second meaning is associated the psychoanalytic school of psychiatry. In this usage analysis is the long-term treatment method used in classical psychoanalysis. Traditionally it involves the client reclining on a couch out of direct view of the analyst. The patient then speaks from a stream of consciousness about feelings, relationships, memories, dreams, fantasies, and impressions. This method allows the analyst to view the patient's life from their own point of view and to identify patterns of behavior, responses, and reactions as well as to give the patient insight into their own lives by vocalizing events and feelings from their past.