Observation according to the Tavistock model as a research tool: remarks on methodology, education and the training of researchers

Infant Observation was initially conceived and designed as an element of training courses for psychoanalytic clinicians. A number of applications of the method have emerged since then, including interventions using participant observation, the observation of people in different age groups, notably older people, and research. The number of research projects using observation on the Tavistock/Bick model as a research tool is increasing. This development has raised many questions about methodology and about the training of researchers which have been addressed in several Viennese research projects. From this background, some tasks and characteristics of training are described which are related to the observers' role as researchers and three phases of the research process. Readers' attention is also directed to the emotional dynamics seminar leaders have to consider and the containment they have to provide when the observation process is linked with a research aim. The paper also considers aspects of methodology when using naturalistic observation as a research tool, in terms of modifications of the original Tavistock/Bick model and to its inclusion within the broad scope of qualitative research methods.