A New Pluralistic Paradigm for Research by Vosmer, Susanne;

Short description:

A New Pluralistic Paradigm for Research is a comprehensive resource that equips a diverse audience with essential research knowledge. It is ideal for psychotherapists, researchers, students, supervisors, trainees, and seminar leaders. It serves as a guide for anyone interested in analytic groups and the methodologies that inform them.

Long description:

A New Pluralistic Paradigm for Research is a comprehensive resource that equips a diverse audience with essential research knowledge. 14 informative chapters, organized into two sections, describe a new paradigm, as well as methodologies to research group analytic psychotherapy and different types of groups and populations.

In addition to making group analytic thinking accessible, and offering a practical guide, the Emerging Reality Paradigm promotes the decolonization of research practices, offering an alternative to traditional Western paradigms. Whilst the focus is on a pluralism, readers will also gain valuable insight into both quantitative and qualitative research paradigms. Western and Indigenous thinking is bridged, illustrative examples are interwoven, and real research examples are included, enabling professionals and students to research analytic groups effectively. Engaging text boxes and suggestions for further reading foster a deeper understanding.

This book is ideal for psychotherapists, researchers, students, supervisors, trainees, and seminar leaders, who seek to gain or deepen their knowledge of group analytic research. It serves as an essential guide for anyone interested in analytic groups and the methodologies that inform them.

Acquainted with Susanne Vosmer’s previous publications, I have been impressed by her range and willingness to ‘think new thoughts’ about the trade of psychotherapy and group analysis. She brings a wealth of insights from psychology and other disciplines to her work.

I am excited to read about her new book project and admire the ambition involved, to create a handbook of research for group analysis whilst noting that group analysis can itself constitute a useful mode of re-search. This is long overdue. Wide ranging scope it aims to cover many existing nodes of research but take it further, to integrate the contribution of non-Western, non-ethnocentric modes of knowledge. Perspectives from far Eastern philosophy and practice, and indigenous experience, for examples, are seldom included in psychotherapy literature let alone research, and are welcome (essential) guests to the table for further understanding.

I heartily recommend this book proposal and believe it will address some significant gaps in our present knowledge. I do not know of another book written in this spirit.

 - Martin Weegmann, Clinical Psychologist, Group Analyst and writer

In her groundbreaking book, Susanne Vosmer initiates a truly pluralistic discussion on research in Analytic and other forms of Group Psychotherapy. She constructs an alternative yet complementary framework to evidence-based research, going beyond Eurocentric and American-centered models of knowledge and research practice. Vosmer writes about research in a “re-searching” way: open, reflective, and critically engaged.

The book not only offers a more complex and nuanced perspective on research in group psychotherapy, but also introduces a wide array of methods. Importantly, Vosmer does not privilege one methodology over another; instead, she fosters a dialogue between qualitative and quantitative approaches, promoting mutual enrichment rather than competition.

This is an essential read for both researchers and clinicians interested in the evolving landscape of group psychotherapy research.

- Anna Zajenkowska, Associate Professor at Vizja University in Warsaw

This is a timely and much needed volume that will illuminate many group-analytic research projects in different countries and cultures. Susanne Vosmer has produced a comprehensive text that goes beyond conventional Western conceptions of reality, knowledge and truth. In fact, she incorporates cross-cultural and complementary philosophical conceptions, and successfully challenges unnecessary divisions between the traditional quantitative and qualitative research paradigms. Group analysts shall value the usefulness of this book, which validates clinical effectiveness and also explores research methodology into median, large, and organisational consultancy groups. I can warmly recommend it.

- Arturo Ezquerro, consultant psychiatrist, group analyst, and author of Group Analysis Throughout the Life Cycle

As Susanne Vosmer writes in her introduction to this important book, group analytic research is a “neglected child”. Her book offers cogent arguments for giving this offspring proper care and attention. Dr Vosmer has been one of the relatively few passionate advocates for research in group analysis. She has pulled her ideas together and broken new ground in writing the first book in the field of Foulkesian group analysis that is dedicated to research.

As would be expected of her, this book is meticulously researched and written in an accessible and interesting manner. It should appeal to experienced and fledgling researchers. It serves as a “how to do research” guide for those wishing to step into the field of research and to the theories and philosophies underpinning research methodologies. Dr Vosmer highlights that these are rooted in Western thinking. There is a consequential need to question this thinking to ensure that practice and research are relevant to societies that group analysis seeks to serve. Hence, the need for a pluralistic paradigm.

This groundbreaking book should find a readership amongst qualified practitioners, trainees, teachers, academics and researchers. It should find its way onto course reading lists.

- Andy Downie, group analyst, supervisor and trainer

Table of Contents:

General Introduction

Introduction to Section One

Introduction To Section Two

Section 1

1 The Excluding Histories of Philosophy & Science AND Dominance of Positivism Is An Alternative Research Paradigm Needed?

2 Why A Paradigm Shift Is Needed Introducing the Emerging Reality Paradigm (ERP) Part 1

2 Why A Paradigm Shift Is Needed Introducing the Emerging Reality Paradigm (ERP) Part 2

Section 2

3 Learning Traditional Research & Nomenclature Through Group Analysts

4 Diffraction & Quantitative Methods Combining Quantitative Methods in Group Analytic Research with AI

5 Less Frequently Used Methods For Group Analytic Research

6 ‘Living’ Group Analytic Theories To Grasp Related Notions, To Start Theorizing & To Generate Theories

7 The Trouble With Qualitative Methods Is It Possible To Do Qualitative Analysis After Coding In Group Analytic Research?

8 Application of Diverse Analytic Methods to Research Unconscious Group Processes, Sensitive Topics & the Hidden

9 Adopting Philosophical Foundations That Shift The Focus To Diverse Mixed Methods In Group Analytic Research

10 Secondary Data: Analysis Methods for Documentary, Therapy & Supervision Group Research

11 Learning About Archival Research & Research Writing Through Illustrative Examples

12 Child and Adolescents Research & Ethics

13 Researching Median, Large & Consultancy Groups

 Concluding Remarks: Every Research Project Matters

Bibliography

Appendix 1: Group Analytic Psychotherapies, Developments & Concepts

Appendix 2: Where group analytic psychotherapy can be situated

Appendix 3: Questionnaires, Software & Resources: Group Questionnaires, Inventories & Tests For Psychotherapy Research

Appendix 4: A Group Analyst’s Journey to Master the Basics of Statistics 

Appendix 5: Supplement to Chapter 2 Part 2: Development Of Modern Physics & Mechanics

Index

List of figures

1.1  Relation between Individual & Group

1.2  Influences On A Group

1.3 The Matrix, Dynamic (DM) and Foundation (FM) Matrix (see Foulkes, 1948, 2003, Thornton, 2025, Wilke, 2025)

1.4 Critical Realism’s 3 Levels of Reality

2.1 Foulkes’ 4 Levels (Template adapted from Presentation.com)

4.1 Figure 4.1: Evidence Pyramid, adapted from Ingham-Broomfield (2016) and Wallace et al. (2022)

4.2 Fictitious Flow Diagram

5.1 Development of Group Research (Extracted from Wheelan et al. 2005)

5.2 Fictitious Completed Grid

5.3 Fictitious Graphic Representation of a fictitious Q-set

5.4 Main theoretical division between Approaches (extracted from Rawlings et al. (2023) and Borsboom et al. 2021)

5.5 Conceptualization of Nodes & Social Ties (extracted from Rawlings et al., 2023, pp. 47-9)

5.6 Fictitious Network Graph of Highly Connected Therapy Group with 8 Members                                                                      

5.7 Procedure involved in a (Social) Network Analysis

5.8 Multilingual Sentiment Analysis Classification (modification of Khurana et al. 2023)

5.9 Capability & Limitation of Machine Learning Algorithms to enable MSA (extracted from Lee et al., 2022 and Wang et al., 2025)                                         

5.10 Deep Learning Models

6.1  Scientific Cyclical Process

6.2 Theoretical Perspectives On Groups (Extracted From Wheelan, 2005 & Barkham et al., 2021)

6.3 Distinctive Attributes & Functions of Living Theory

6.4 Different Versions of Grounded Theory (extracted from Chun Tie et al., 2019)

6.5 Philosophical Differences (extracted from Chun Tie et al., 2019)

6.6: Basic Procedure of Constructivist Grounded Theory (extracted from Charmaz, 2006, 2014, Charmaz & Belgrave, 2015)

7.1 Old & New IPA Terminology

8.1 Manifestations of Transference

9.1 Stages of Data Analysis in line with Bhaskar and procedure extracted from Stuchbury (2021, p. 8)

10.1 Chronogram structuring a group session into 3 phases. Extracted from Cox (1989, p. 43)

10.2 A Group Interaction Chronogram Template for 4 Members 

4.A1 Bar Chart

4.A2 Scatterplot

4.A3 ‘Phallic’ regression line graph

4.A4 Whiskers chart

4.A5: IQR

List of tables

5.1 Fictious Correlation Matrix Between Variables

List of boxes

1.1       Critical Theory & Postmodernism

1.2       Social Constructionism & Social Constructivism

1.3       Interpretivism

1.4       Positivism

1.5       Rationalism vs (Logical) Empiricism

1.6       Pragmatism & Mixed Methods

1.7       Critical Realism 

3.1       Induction, Deduction & Abduction

3.2       Phenomenological Hermeneutics & Interpretation

3.3       Experiments & Experimentation

3.4       Naturalistic Studies, Field Experiments & Case-control Studies

3.5       Within & Between-Subjects Designs

3.6       Transference & Countertransference

3.7       Participant Observation & Ethnography

3.8       The Case Study & Single Case Design

3.9       Case Studies of Failed Cases

3.10     Unorthodox Techniques

3.11     Non-Experimental, Quasi-Experimental & Experimental Research Designs

4.1      Therapeutic Relationship/Working Alliance & Rupture

5.1      Indicator/Dummy Variable    

6.1      Interrater Agreement

6.2      One Possible Procedure