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Special Section: What Can Clinical Psychologists Learn from Reading Novels?

Oxford, UK, john.marzillier{at}btinternet.com

Clinical psychologists like to think of themselves as `scientist-practitioners' drawing upon scientific knowledge to inform their practice. The assumption is that psychological practice should be based on certainty, something that is to my mind a delusion. Science is not the only source of knowledge about the human condition. Once psychologists accept that clinical practice is a creative and at times uncertain business, other sources of knowledge can be drawn upon. English literature — novels, poetry, plays — is a rich source of such knowledge. Since the very beginning psychoanalysis has delved into literature, mainly to illustrate theory. There is no reason why other psychological traditions cannot do the same. In this article I look at extracts from two novels and one collection of short stories. I show that reading the novel or story could benefit a psychotherapist, each extract illustrating a different application. I suggest that novels and stories provide us with a different sort of knowledge, one that we could usefully draw upon.

Key Words: knowledge • literature • psychotherapy • science

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