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The central vision of psychiatry is transformation. Psychiatrists, and most certainly psychoanalysts, assume that their patients can transcend the historical genesis of their pain, conflicts, and delusions.
It was Einstein who first clearly articulated the possibility that this fundamental vision of psychiatry might also be of service to the increasingly destructive situation among the nation-states of the world. In his now famous correspondence with Freud he asked Freud whether it was possible to guide the psychological development of man so that it becomes resistant to the psychoses of hate and destruction. This possibility has fascinated and challenged a small but enthusiastic group ever since.
Psychiatrists have undergone a continuing expansion of their interests and competence. They have moved from an initial concern with intrapsychic, interpersonal, and intrafamilial conflict to the broader areas of conflict in the community and conflict between social and racial groups. This paper presents a vision of psychiatry in a world context and describes the 18-year commitment of one psychiatrist to make that vision a reality.
It is now 54 years since the correspondence between Einstein and Freud was exchanged, and while we can say that “psychiatry and