The American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) is an association of

psychoanalysts PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might be ...

in the United States. APsaA serves as a scientific and

professional organization A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and the ...

with a focus on education, research, and membership development. APsaA comprises 34 training institutes and 38 affiliate societies. Individual mental health practitioners, academics, and researchers who are not affiliated with a psychoanalytic institute or society may belong as associate members. At the association's biannual meetings held in February and June, members convene to exchange ideas, present research, and discuss training and membership issues. APsaA has over 3,000 members, including psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and experimental psychologists, and social workers.

History

APsaA was founded in 1911 by Welsh neurologist and psychoanalyst

Ernest Jones Alfred Ernest Jones (1 January 1879 – 11 February 1958) was a Welsh neurologist and psychoanalyst. A lifelong friend and colleague of Sigmund Freud from their first meeting in 1908, he became his official biographer. Jones was the first En ...

, with the support of

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies explained as originatin ...

. Other founders of the organization include Adolf Meyer,

James Jackson Putnam James Jackson Putnam (October 3, 1846 – November 4, 1918) was an American neurologist. Biography Born in Boston, Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1866, Putnam went to Europe to study in the com ...

, G. Lane Taneyhill,

John T. MacCurdy John Thompson MacCurdy or John Thomson MacCurdy (1886 – 1947) was a Canadian psychiatrist. He was the co-founder and first secretary of the American Psychoanalytic Association. He taught at Cornell University from 1913 to 1922, and in 1923 b ...

Trigant Burrow Nicholas Trigant Burrow (September 7, 1875 – May 24, 1950) was an American psychoanalyst, psychiatrist, psychologist, and, alongside Joseph H. Pratt and Paul Schilder, founder of group analysis in the United States. He was the inventor of the conc ...

, and G. Alexander Young. APsaA is the second oldest American psychoanalytic organization, after the

New York Psychoanalytic Society The New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute — founded in 1911 by Dr. Abraham A. Brill — is the oldest psychoanalytic organization in the United States. The charter members were: Louis Edward Bisch, Brill, Horace Westlake Frink, Fre ...

which was founded a few months before by

Abraham Arden Brill Abraham Arden Brill (October 12, 1874 – March 2, 1948) was an Austrian-born psychiatrist who spent almost his entire adult life in the United States. He was the first psychoanalyst to practice in the United States and the first translator of ...

Membership

Membership in APsaA, from its founding in 1911 until 1989, was limited to physicians.

A. A. Brill Abraham Arden Brill (October 12, 1874 – March 2, 1948) was an Austrian-born psychiatrist who spent almost his entire adult life in the United States. He was the first psychoanalyst to practice in the United States and the first translator of S ...

suggested this limitation according to his belief that psychoanalysis could gain acceptance in America only if it were presented as a treatment for a medical disorder. APsaA held to this position even after

clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...

became a recognized health care profession. In consequence, many members of recognized health care professions, particularly clinical psychologists, were excluded not only from membership in the American Psychoanalytic Association but also from training in its approved institutes. During and following World War II, psychoanalytic education and training were available outside the institutes of APsaA. All who trained in those programs — even physicians — were excluded from APsaA membership. In the 1980s, members of the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

joined in a successful lawsuit against APsaA, challenging these policies. In 1989, APsaA, along with the

International Psychoanalytical Association The International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) is an association including 12,000 psychoanalysts as members and works with 70 constituent organizations. It was founded in 1910 by Sigmund Freud, from an idea proposed by Sándor Ferenczi. His ...

and the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, agreed to admit non-physicians for training on the same basis as physicians.

Relationship with LGBTQ community

In 1991 APsaA issued a statement allowing training of gay psychoanalysts. In 1992 APsaA prohibited discrimination against gay people when selecting teaching faculty. In 2019 APsaA apologized for having treated homosexuality as a mental illness.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1911 establishments in the United States Mental health organizations in New York (state) Psychoanalysis in the United States Health care-related professional associations based in the United States Psychology organizations based in the United States

History

Membership

Relationship with LGBTQ community

See also

References

External links