At the 1969 Rome Congress of the International Psycho-Analytical Association, a group of psychoanalytic candidates met to discuss their concern that there was no place in the program of the International for them to discuss and share ideas related to their training. With the support of Dr. Leo Rangell, then President of the IPA, these discussions were continued at the Congress in Vinna, and pertinent information was distributed to candidate groups. Thus was born the idea of IPSO, an acronym for the International Psychoanalytical Studies Organization.
This year in Helsinki IPSO held its sixth Pre-Congress, and it was an outstanding success, demonstrating again the value of the concept and the viability of the organization. At the fifth IPSO Pre-Congress in New York City in 1979, Argentina, Canada, Chile, England, Mexico, Poland, and West Germany were represented, in addition to the U.S.A. This year there was new candidate involvement from Brazil, Sweden, and Spain, as well as an
expression of interest from candidates in Hungary.
Candidates attending the 32nd IPAC in Helsinki numbered over 300, about one quarter of the total registrants. Many of these candidates participated in the IPSO Pre-Congress, which again followed the established format of original papers, panel discussions, and workshops on psychoanalytic education and training.
The original papers spanned a wide range of topics. They included “Residual Manifestations of Separation-Individuation in Adult Analysis” by Dr. Edgar Patino from the Menninger Foundation; “Dostoyevsky: Crime and Punishment, A Description of the Young Man's Intrapsychic Crisis” by Dr. Pirjo Roos, a Finnish Candidate; “The Widening Gap Between Academic Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis: Implications for Psychoanalytic Candidates” by Dr. Warren Procci, an American Candidate; “U.S. Psychoanalytical Candidates: The Current Profile as Derived from the 1980 CAPE Survey” by Dr. Maria Lymberis of the U.S.A.; “Some Notes on the Supervisory Process” by Dr. Nicole Poliquin, an American Candidate, and “Some Metascientific Aspects of Psychoanalysis” by Dr. Jorma Laitinen from Finland.
The panel on Psychoanalytic Education was of great interest to candidates and provoked a lively and lengthy discussion, contrasting differences and comparing similarities in psychoanalytic training throughout the world. There are major differences in the number and background of candidates in training in various countries. For example, Finland has 30 candidates with over half being physicians; Argentina has 243 candidates in one Institute, many being physicians but few being psychiatrists; the U.S.A. has 1008 candidates in 26 Institutes, 87% of whom are psychiatrists; Germany has 243 candidates in 12 Institutes, half of whom are physicians, but few being psychiatrists. The financial burden and the pressure on the families of candidates are similar in most countries.
Officially created when its constitution was ratified at the 1977 IPSO Pre-Congress in Jerusalem, the organization elected Dr. Warren Kingston from Great Britain its first President. The purpose of IPSO, as spelled out in its constitution, is to “facilitate communication, links and free exchange of information between candidates and candidate organizations throughout the world … to promote the best interests of candidates with respect to their psychoanalytical training and education … to provide liaison between candidates and other relevant groups on the international level, and to provide representatives to the International Psycho-Analytical Association … to advance psychoanalysis as a body of theory, a method of research and as a technique of treatment.”
There are three classes of membership in IPSO: (1) Component group membership, which is open to any candidate organization at Institutes approved by the IPA, (2) Individual membership for psychoanalytic candidates at IPA approved Institutes, and (3) Donor membership for persons who demonstrate a bona fide interest in psychoanalysis and support the goals of IPSO.
The 7th IPSO Pre-Congress will be held in Madrid in 1983. The IPSO theme chosen is “On Becoming a Psychoanalyst.” Original papers for the panel discussions and workshops on psychoanalytic training will be solicited from candidates from all IPA Institutes and are expected to focus on the problems and concerns of candidates as they progress through stages to become psychoanalysts. IPSO has become a valuable organization that has supported the interest of candidates. It has, in turn, been supported spiritually by the leadership of the International, and the IPSO Pre-Congresses have also received financial support to defray some expenses of the meeting. In addition, meeting rooms and limited simultaneous translation have been provided by the International. The International has suggested that the activities of IPSO become an integral part of IPAC. This suggestion is most appropriate, since the future of psychoanalysis is in the hands of the candidates of today and tomorrow.
Walter J. Tardy, M.D.
New York