Individual development of researchers as a factor for scientific excellence

Abstract

This article examines the importance of individual researcher development in psychotherapy science. It emphasizes the trend towards qualitative research that includes subjective aspects, in contrast to traditional approaches that emphasize objectivity by excluding researcher subjectivity. In various disciplines, the focus is increasingly on the subject and researcher subjectivity, albeit mostly from a social perspective. The article introduces a ‹microscope metaphor› to illustrate the limitations and openness of research projects. Ongoing research remains open to new insights through the interaction between researchers and the object of investigation, while completed research has limitations. This metaphor is linked to Radical Skepticism to simplify complex relationships while maintaining openness to the unknown. The investigation encompasses the structural and mediating aspects of imagination and the dynamics of connection and disconnection that characterize scientific activity. The article shows that thematic immersion yields different results than the application of life experience. Overall, the necessity of personal development through scientific activity and the central role of differentiation in interpersonal encounters is emphasized. Psychotherapy science as a separate discipline has debatable factors that are suitable for differentiation in the scientific landscape.