| Abstrakt: |
This article describes an experimental study of the observational process in social case work. Clinical observation is a special form of a universal social process; in the course of normal living, every person makes judgments about others. As would be expected, the subject of interpersonal perception has been widely studied. Some of the characteristics of the good judge of others have been identified, and some headway has been made in distinguishing productive observational methods. In preparation for this study, a search was made for a formulation of the observational process which would be consistent with research findings and which would fit with actual experience. This study is based on a model of observational process suggested by the researcher Theodor Reik. It is suggested that in normal interpersonal communication extensive use is made of such preconscious material. Reik divides the attention of the observer into an active and a passive form. Active, or "voluntary," attention is described as a selective, focused, and specific receptivity to interview data. Passive, or "free-floating," attention is the antithesis of the voluntary form. |
