In Memoriam: John C. Gustin

In 1948 John C. Gustin was the founding Editor of Psychoanalysis, the journal of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis, which subsequently merged with The Psychoanalytic Review. He deserves special tribute, for after relinquishing his editorship he continued over many years to write for the Review.

A practicing analyst since 1946 and a Certified Psychologist, John Gustin was a Senior Member of the N.P.A.P. and one of its founders. He also held membership in the Council of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists, the American Academy of Psychotherapists, and the New York State Psychological Association. His contributions to psychoanalytic literature include chapters in Explorations in Psychoanalysis (Ed. R. Lindner) and numerous articles published in this Review, such as “The Great American Neurosis,” and “Psychology of the Actor.” It was not until the early Forties that he began training as an analyst; earlier he had established a successful newspaper career as a commercial artist and advertising manager. In 1944 he began intensive study in the field of psychology and trained for psychoanalysis at the Washington School of Psychiatry, the N.P.A.P., and through special seminars and supervision with Martha Jaeger and Theodor Reik.

These biographical details do not capture the warmth and quality of John Gustin the man. Tall in height and spirit, he was a devoted father and husband, and a delighted grandfather. As a committed sportsman he loved tennis, fishing and, later, golf. He cherished the feel of grass under his feet, of walks in the sun and among the trees.

To his patients he was the best that the psychoanalyst can mean to those who are troubled and in pain. Many patients came to him after previous attempts at psychoanalysis, and with them he proved a successful healer. He taught at the Institute of the N.P.A.P. from 1957 until he died—an enthusiastic instructor with many eager students who gained much from his meaningful insights.

To his colleagues John G