THE IV INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF PSYCHOANALYSIS has chosen as its theme, "The Irrational in Psychoanalysis." In effect we have made a public statement that our profession is responsible enough to undertake a critical inspection of its own premises, and are implying an intent to subject ourselves to the collective scrutiny of our own analytic eye. This workshop has taken as its domain of self-analysis an area of our professional psyche that is particularly exciting, that is central to our identity, and that is well bolstered with defenses … the process of psychoanalytic training in an institutional setting. Our task is to collaboratively explore its rational and irrational aspects.

Can we begin to identify core elements in the training environment which, independent of the theoretical orientation of an institute, tend to be experienced by candidates as facilitating, and other elements which are consensually experienced as needlessly growth-impairing or "irrational"? Our panel is particularly well