Tenth Anniversary

Ten years ago a small number of analysts separated from the New York Psychoanalytic Society and founded a new analytic group—the Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis—in order to provide for the possibility of training psychiatrists along lines which in many ways deviated from Freud's theories.

The separation evolved from ideological differences which had gradually become too crucial for constructive work. Any cooperative effort, to be productive, needs diversity and unity—the unity consisting of a common base of essential issues and a willingness to explore in a scientific spirit the validity of one's concepts. It must be remembered that all members of the seceding group had been trained in and worked for many years with the traditional concepts of Freud. Thus, a common base existed then and exists today. The recognition of unconscious forces, of dreams being meaningful, the belief in the importance for therapy of the patient-analyst relationship, of recognizing and dealing with the patient's defenses, and the value of “free associations” are all part of a common heritage which forms the groundwork of psychoanalytic theory and method.

In other regards, however, we had in fact lost a common base. Our philosophic premises had changed in decisive ways. These concerned, above all, our belief in the nature of man. Man for us was no longer an instinct-ridden creature, but a being capable of choice and responsibility. Hostility was no longer innate but reactive. Similarly, egocentric and anti-social cravings, like greed or the lust for power, were not inevitable phases of man's development, but an expression of a neurotic process. Growing up under favorable conditions, we believed, man would develop his inherent constructive forces, and like every other living organism, would want to realize his potentialities. Human nature was no longer unalterable but could change.

The reason we decided not merely to withdraw, but to develop a new group, was primarily the oblig