In this first State of the Association report, I will comment on the current status of our organization, highlight a few immediate foci of activity, and then move on to what I see as priorities for the future. I will not dwell on the past, for there is much we must do and much we must become. Our future is today—to be addressed with boldness and creativity. If we tarry, the future will be behind us and it will not be shaped by our contributions.
In January 2004, the Association is strong and robust. Our activities as a vibrant organization seeking to realize our goals are energetic and creative. Without a shred of a doubt or a moment of hesitation, I can say that the American Psychoanalytic Association is second to none in promoting psychoanalysis as a profession, training candidates to practice with skill, and supporting psychoanalytic science. Our publications and scientific meetings, our standards for practice, our political strength and advocacy for patients' rights, the efforts to understand the human condition and to promote emotional freedom and growth, and our contributions to the thinking community are but a few reflections of the Association's vigor and imagination. These are not hollow declarations or chauvinistic proclamations. We are a strong and influential organization, and we carry the responsibility to maintain our vigor, to advocate for our patients and profession, and to seek new opportunities to promote the growth and application of our clinical science.
Although we are the most influential psychoanalytic organization in the world, I am deeply concerned about our vulnerabilities and our readiness to meet the challenges that lie before us. I have written, “We are an organization waiting for a crisis.” I must correct myself. The crisis is here; we have been ignoring it.
I focus on three areas of concern: our demographics, the tempo of change, and our internal preoccupations.
The demographics of the Association are particularly troublesome. Several months ago I asked a young mathematician to sketch a future profile of our organization, based on our current membership statistics and the assumption that the present trends in our group would remain the same,
In June 2006, just about two years from now, if we as an Association continue to do business as usual and do not find new ways to expand our membership and attract younger members, we will look something like this:
The average age of our total membership will be 65.
The average age of our TA's will be 73.
14% of our members will be over 80 years old.
30% of our members will be over 70 years old.
28% of our members will not be paying dues because of seniority.
These statistics are a warning to all of us. A membership organization with these demographics will simply not be able to sustain itself and will not be able to support an aggressive and forward looking agenda.
As individuals and as an organization, we value introspection and deep understanding, deliberating with great care before we make decisions and take action. These attributes are necessary and laudable in our clinical work as psychoanalysts. In our organizational life such a deliberative stance also serves us well as we try to carefully consider our options. I would suggest, however, that frequently this clinical stance serves as a defense to avoid those challenges that appear most threatening. The assumption of timelessness that may characterize and be useful in our clinical work will in the public arena lead to stagnation and passivity.
A preoccupation with the vicissitudes of our past history or the inner dynamics of governance will blind us to the dangers that threaten to envelop us. Yes, organizational decisions must be made only after thoughtful deliberation, but this mode of functioning must not be used to rationalize indecision and passivity. We sometimes joke that the Association moves at a glacial pace. It is not a joke. It has become maladaptive as we watch and wait, hesitate and debate, while the membership continues to age and the number of candidates plateaus.
This leads me to the third area that concerns me as we work to address the challenges to our professional organization.
Currently, the Association is deeply engaged in studying our governance and mapping strategies for reorganization. These deliberations are important. Some of the internal struggles have been with us for decades—indeed for generations. I would hope and expect that the forging of more adaptive structures will provide us with new vigor. We devote a great deal of energy to this internal contention, but we continue on this path at our own peril. It is imperative that these deliberations do not become an arena to endlessly rehash, relive, and try to redress old hurts and grievances.
The process of reorganization is just that—a process. It is not the goal. The process is not where we want to be. It is not the place where we can afford to linger or luxuriate. Yes, we will make mistakes. Indeed if we do not occasionally err, we have most likely proceeded with undue caution and meekness. It would be a grievous error for our Association to mark time, waiting for a complete and perfect set of blueprints. This is a time for initiative, imagination, and boldness. The passage of time will not be kind to us. I fear that our professional proclivity for inward gazing will serve to perpetuate and blind us to the tasks confronting us. We must focus our energies outside of ourselves.
The future of the Association depends on the creativity and vigor of our outreach to the world around us. This outreach must be a
two-way street, allowing ourselves to learn, be enriched, and participate where we can best contribute. Outreach must be to the scientific and intellectual communities, to other mental health professionals, and to the public. A rich and meaningful two-way exchange can happen only if we feel confident about our profession and about ourselves. At some points in the history of the Association splendid isolation may have been important for self-definition and cohesion, but those days are long past and such adaptations have become crippling.
Our outreach must include opening our Association membership to serious psychoanalysts who do not quite look like us. I refer to those professionals who were not trained in our institutes and whose convictions and practice may not be identical to ours. Differences must be acknowledged and respected, stimulating dialogue and study. We are strong enough as an Association and hopefully secure enough as individuals to find these differences challenging and valuable. We have taken small, tentative steps out of our isolation, but we have much to do to expand our thinking and to enlarge the doors to membership.
And, finally, we must reach out vigorously and creatively to the public. Ultimately, all of our clinical, scientific, educational, and organizational activities depend on our success in this effort.
John Blamphin, former director of the APA Division of Public Affairs, served as a consultant for our Association. His observations and recommendations are clear. In his concluding remarks, he said: “…outreach must be both national through the ‘American’ and local through societies and institutes…in the end, it will be grassroots psychoanalysts as individuals who make the case for psychoanalytic theory. This means that individual analysts…have to get out of the office and mix it up with other professional colleagues, the media, with politicians, and school teachers, lawyers, clergy, and the family next door”
I believe we, the membership of the Association, have been challenged by these realities and by new opportunities for growth. I have experienced it first hand as I travel and meet with our societies and institutes. There is ferment and creative outreach in our local groups that is exciting to witness and be part of. I am convinced we can make a difference, that we can influence and help create the future. But this will happen only if we as an organization and as individuals put our energies, our minds, and our hearts to the task.
The hour is late and we have much to do. I am optimistic that we can learn, we can grow, and we can prevail. The time for action is now.