The eighty-ninth annual meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association will be held May 10 through May 14, 2000, at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. The meeting starts on Wednesday, May 10, with a wide variety of discussion groups that encompass almost all of the theoretical, clinical, and applied aspects of psychoanalysis. As ever, the meeting offers a vibrant cultural and social setting.
Two two-day clinical workshops begin on Wednesday. In one, a workshop on “Process and Technique” Jacqueline Amati Mehler of Rome, Italy, will speak; in the other, Marvin Margolis will speak on “The Analytic Treatment of Incest.” Also on Wednesday, Joseph Schachter will chair an all-day senior analyst presentation program and Peter Fonagy will conduct a research seminar on “Studying Psychoanalytic Process.”
Along with the ongoing discussion groups, Thursday morning begins with an oral history workshop, chaired by Jerome Kavka, on “The History of Psychoanalysis in Chicago.” The afternoon session offers a course on object relations theory chaired by Otto Kernberg and a forum on analytic identity with Glen Gabbard. On Thursday evening, the ever-popular two-part film workshop begins.
The business meeting will be on Friday morning. It will be followed by an interesting panoply of meetings, including “In-depth: On the Alternative Lives of the Psychoanalytic Clinician — Pursuit of the Muse,” chaired by Morris Peltz, and Heather Craig's paper on termination.
Friday afternoon offers a symposium on gay and lesbian parents and a panel on “What Drives the Dream?” chaired by Beatrice Smirnow, with contributions from Ramon Greenberg, Morton Reiser, Mark Solms, and Drew Weston. Also that afternoon, Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer chairs a seminar on patients' religious beliefs, with contributions from James Lomax, Ethel Specter Person, and George E. Valliant. There will also be scientific papers for discussion and an interesting plenary address by Fred Busch, “Are We Losing Our Mind?” The day will close with a farewell party for Bob Pyles, who completes his term as president.
On Saturday morning, a day-long panel on “Contemporary View of Bisexuality in Clinical Work” will commence, chaired by Henry Smith. It includes presentations by Jacqueline Amati Mehler, Nancy Chodorow, James Herzog, Otto Kernberg, Ralph Roughton, and Elizabeth Young-Bruehl. Also offered on Saturday is a symposium on “Trauma and Loss in Inner-City Children” and a meet-the-author session featuring Irwin Z. Hoffman, whose latest book is Ritual and Spontaneity in the Psychoanalytic Process.
The meeting concludes on Sunday with the morning's panel on “Mindfullness Practices and Freud's Use of Free Association,” chaired by Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer, with contributions from Glen Gabbard, Joan Wheelis, and Alfred Margulies. In the afternoon, an interdisciplinary seminar will be offered on “The Clinical Applications of Self Psychology, Intersubjectivity and Relational Analysis,” chaired by Jerome Beigler.
There are also special programs for residents and students of psychology and social work throughout the four days. The innovative and traditional spirit of Chicago, combined with the meeting agenda, should make for a time not to be missed.