Interview with Arnold Richards: A Spirit of Activism

In the lead up to our anniversary issue, I've had the pleasure of talking to Arnold Richards. A recipient of the 2000 Mary S. Sigourney Award and the 2013 Hans W. Loewald Memorial Award, Dr. Richards is a leading figure in the democratization of psychoanalysis and in bringing psychoanalysis to the world at large.

You were one of the early supporters of ROOM and one of the people who recognized its significance and relevance for the analytic community form the very beginning. What was it that caught your attention?

A.R. Initially, I noticed and appreciated the graphics. I am very much into graphics. One of the first things I did when I became the editor of the Journal of American Psychoanalytic Association (JAPA) in 1994 was to redesign the cover and the graphics of the journal. All the editors after me have kept the same design. I am very proud of that.

But ROOM is an important creation. I've always felt that there should be a place in psychoanalysis for a discussion about things that are going on in the larger world. A typical peer-reviewed journal with scientific quotes and papers doesn't offer that. This sort of venue is vital for the field and needs to be nurtured and maintained.

There aren't that many platforms for psychoanalysts to comment on other issues, “nonprofessional issues,” that are of great concern for them and are important for the profession and the larger world. That is why I think ROOM is so important. In it, the whole political approach is important. To go beyond the field—whether it has to do with art or literature or politics—is everything that makes us interesting as people. I wonder why no one thought of it earlier? (laughs) Although I must say I had some thought about doing something like that and this has resulted in my starting the new journal the International Journal of Controversial Discussions, which will include commentaries and discussions about broader issues and topics from different standpoints—things that