The history of psychoanalysis is characterized by the junktim of "research and healing" (Freud 1927). Accordingly, clinical findings were decisive for psychoanalytic theory formation; conversely, theory shaped the understanding clinical cases. One can transfer this junktim for psychoanalytically informed pedagogy without any major difficulties. Here, educational practice is the starting point for psychoanalytic-pedagogical theory formation. Empirical research must therefore be oriented toward educational practice and requires a methodology that is able to access both the manifest and latent levels of practice. A language that is close to everyday life is also important in order not to alienate research from educational practice. In the German-speaking world, the terms ‘Tiefenhermeneutik’ (deep hermeneutics) and Szenisches Verstehen (scenic understanding) have been established for this kind of research (Lorenzer 1988). Although in the French and Italian tradition there are other terms and partly also other theoretical references, there is a great deal of overlap with regard to the circular model of practice, empirical research and theory. Using a research project in a juvenile detention center, the author shows that by use of such research methodology, deep insights into educational practice is possible and cannot be gained with other quantitative and qualitative methods (Zimmermann 2020). However, unlike the armchair-couch setting, it adds considerable complexity as the educational setting is not limited to a two-person event. Likewise, it is significant to pick up references from theories of subjectification as well as from so-called postcolonial studies in order not to lose sight of the social dimension of individual suffering and educational relationship (Butler 1997; Fakhry Davids 2020). Students at the university can also use “Szenisches Verstehen” to reflect on educational work when having a suitable theoretical reference system and can thus enhance their professional development. Such teaching is highly related to research when advanced students reflect on case material from internship periods in ways similar to what is accomplished in the context of depth hermeneutic research. During the presentation, the author will also point out limitations: they show up particularly strongly in research projects, for example, when anxiety is triggered in institutions by the researcher’s psychoanalytic attitude. In the university, in-depth-reflection is more difficult when the hierarchical gap between teachers and students is particularly large.

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