Is There a Future for American Psychoanalysis?

The question above would never have been debated in the heyday of analysis in the 1950s. But it began to be discussed in the ′60s, was taken seriously in the 70s and declared to be very real in the '80s.

This article deals principally with the American Psychoanalytic Association (called for short, “the American”). I will first discuss the current situation of the American and some of the issues surrounding a lawsuit that involves the question of lay analysis. I will then investigate some of die reasons for the decline of analysis, some aspects of die current problems, and some possible reforms.

In October, 1988, American psychoanalysis reached a most important moment in its history. A lawsuit by members of the American Psychological Association was filed in 1987 against the American alleging breach of Federal anti-trust laws in the restriction of trade. The class action suit, Welch et al. v. American Psychoanalytic Association et al., was filed by five PhD-level psychologists who had been refused entry for full training into institutes of the American because they did not have a medical qualification. Further, they alleged that members of the American were restricted from teaching in non-American institutes which restricted the training available to non-physicians in psychoanalysis.

The American strongly resisted these charges, claiming that they interfered with their autonomy and training, and that these were academic rather than commercial considerations— a view which the judge rejected. Many analysts recognized that it was just a matter of time before the American would have to open its doors to nonphysicians. The process was finally settled out of court in October, 1988, and the settlement was upheld by the U.S. District Court in April, 1989. The result was a victory for the psychologists against