Date on Senior Honors Thesis

12-2014

Document Type

Senior Honors Thesis

Department

Psychological and Brain Sciences

Degree Program

College of Arts and Sciences

Author's Keywords

Psychoanalysis; Argentina; Music therapy; Theoretical frameworks; Comparative analysis

Abstract

One of the most shocking cultural phenomena that American visitors to Argentina experience is the prevalence of psychoanalytic theory, thought, and practice. It is so embedded into the Argentine way of life that its terminology is sprinkled throughout their daily speech and the cost of regular therapy sessions is factored into the monthly budget along with food, rent, and clothing. The widespread use of psychoanalysis is especially confounding to those of us in the mental health care field in the United States, as the enthusiasm for psychoanalysis and Freudian theory has receded among the intellectual community largely because it is not considered an evidence-based practice (Eysenck, 2004). In addition to the fields of psychiatry, politics, and economics (Plotkin 1998), psychoanalysis has also infiltrated the profession of music therapy in Argentina. This phenomenon serves as the focus of this paper, with the objectives of this thesis study being to identify the therapeutic modalities practiced by music therapists in Argentina and to determine to what extent psychoanalytic modalities are implemented in clinical practice and research. Articles from a major Argentine music therapy journal that contained references to the major theoretical frameworks were analyzed. These articles were then coded for occurrence rates of keywords identified within each framework. Articles written from the psychoanalytic framework were the most prevalent. Findings suggest that keyword occurrence rates were similar regardless of theoretical orientation. Implications for clinical practice in music therapy are discussed.

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