Dynamics of Psychoanalytic Institutions : Legacy, Transformation and Becoming

Dynamics of Psychoanalytic Institutions provides a thorough appraisal of the current state of psychoanalytic groups and how they might move forward under fraught conditions, representing the outcome of many years of work by the Institutional Matters Forum (IMF).

This erudite book presents the thoughts, experiences, reflections, and outcomes of the IMF, a long-standing working group of the European Psychoanalytical Federation (EPF). Organisational and group dynamic issues have a great influence on the life of psychoanalytic societies. However, they are often lived through as part of institutional and professional daily lives or retold as part of a history, marked with frequent conflicts, disruptions, splits, and impasses. This book recognises the need to explore the structure, culture, organisation, and unique characteristics of psychoanalytical organisations and to provide the space and tools for reflection. Consisting of seven psychoanalysts from seven different countries, the IMF group charts the origins of analytic societies, explores group mentality, and considers the impact on the global experience of war and the Covid pandemic on psychoanalytic institutions.