You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
These articles were originally given as presentations at a symposium during the 50th Anniversary meeting of the Canadian Psychoanalytic Society. The presenters were asked to respond to the question “Who should become a training analyst?”
Angela Sheppard responds by emphasizing the courage needed to face the destruction inherent in psychoanalysis. She also notes the importance of the ability to bear the pain of mourning in giving up our old beliefs and the ability to tolerate the pain of ignorance. She notes that as “analysts we are in the business of selling the value of bearing pain. To the extent that we haven't bought it, we can't sell it” (p. 317).
Elie Debbane noted the complexity and confusion in assessing potential candidates. The model of three one-hour interviews brings in a confusion of roles and models, including analytic, assessment, and teaching models, as well as group and institutional dynamics. She raises the questions of “who selects, into what, and for what” (p. 320).
In regard to the “who selects” part of the question, Debbane suggests that interviewers bring “their internal world” (p. 320) to the interviews. Citing Meltzer, she notes that our internal world is made up of characters looking for actors to play certain parts.
Regarding the “into what” question, Debbane explores the group dynamics involved in selection. Drawing on the work of Bion and Meltzer, she worries that there may be a tendency to favor applicants who seem obedient rather than questioning, thus selecting for candidates to fit into the institutional dynamic.
Finally, Debbane ponders the “for what” question. She seems to answer it by saying that we choose candidates to pursue a passion for the psychoanalytic method, which involves “the toleration of pleasure, pain,