Changing Theoretical and Clinical Issues

In 2025, we celebrate the 85th anniversary of the American Journal of Psychoanalysis, a journal that from the outset has been dedicated to fostering the spirit of open inquiry about a wide range of theoretical, clinical, and cultural concepts in psychoanalysis. For our 85th anniversary we invited submissions that explore the impact of cultural, societal, scientific, and environmental changes and forces on individuals, psychoanalytic practice, and theory.

Our founder, Karen Horney, MD, was an independent and forward-thinking psychoanalyst, interested in clinical research and was constantly exploring, challenging, and rethinking psychoanalytic concepts, guided by her vast clinical experience. As early as 1917 Horney began using language that differed from Freud and she challenged Freud's theory of female development generating her own theories regarding the impact of cultural expectations on women's psychological development (Horney, 1923–1936). She boldly moved away from Freud's instinct theory and viewed the individual as developing within a social, interpersonal, and cultural matrix mediated by the family environment: identity, personality development and the intrapsychic are influenced by the external world and culture (Horney, 1937, 1939, 1945). The relationships embedded within these environments significantly influence character development, mental health, and well-being. Central to her theory is the belief that we all have inborn potential that strives for self-realization, inner freedom, and flexibility, but they must be nurtured (Horney, 1950). The process of working in the therapeutic relationship lends a helping hand toward healthier growth. Horney believed that there is a dynamic matrix between the individual and culture. Our environment impacts us, similarly, constructive changes in the individual have the potential to reciprocally