The changing face of psychoanalysis and the development of the IFPS

^†Anniversary speech, “On Working with Conflict and Alienation,” 17th International Forum of Psychoanalysis, Mexico D.F., October 10, 2012.

Abstract

The foundation of the International Federation of Psychoanalytic Societies (IFPS) in 1962 was – from the author's point of view – a reaction to the exclusive politics of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) in the postwar years. It was a political act of self-assertion, and only secondarily a science-related initiative. But meanwhile, the field of international psychoanalysis has changed fundamentally, and the former identity of the IFPS, which was defined from its differences from the IPA, has come under increasing pressure. Meeting this challenge, the question arises: what is the contribution of the Federation to psychoanalysis in the contemporary world? The author believes that the future lies in the exploration of identity-creating relations in all areas and periods of life. To deal with this huge challenge would be a shared task for the whole psychoanalytic community.

Key words:

• psychoanalysis history
• IFPS
• IPA
• intersubjectivity
• psychoanalytic identity

Notes

^† Anniversary speech, “On Working with Conflict and Alienation,” 17th International Forum of Psychoanalysis, Mexico D.F., October 10, 2012.

¹ Unpublished papers in the archives of the DPG in Berlin.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michael Ermann

Author

Michael Ermann is professor emeritus of psychotherapy and psychosomatic medicine, and a member and head of the IFPS Individual Section. He is also a member and training analyst of the IPA and DPG, has been a member of the Board of the IFPS since 1981, and is regional editor of the International Forum of Psychoanalysis.