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Internationale Zeitschrift für Ärztliche Psychoanalyse
Budapest, February 9, 1914
Dear Professor,
Despite your request to return to more peaceful work from now on, I couldn't resist reacting correspondingly to the unmatched impudence and conceit of Jung's paper (see Archives de Psychologie). I sent the critique to Rank for the Zeitschrift.1 —
After the honeymoon that psychonalysis has enjoyed in Budapest, it now seems to be getting more serious resistance. Apáthy's attacks have caused the “Social Science Society” to come back to the idea that was floated last year but rejected by me of letting adherents and opponents of ψα. have their say in a public discussion. I still owe them a reply, was decidedly in favor of rejecting it again, and would still be, had not* the arguments of my friend Ignotus shaken me to a certain extent. Ignotus thinks that we ought not brusquely refuse the offer of the “Social Science Society” (the only group on which we can count for some support and defense, in the event of brutal attacks). They will take my avoidance as running away, which could harm still more the already bad reputation of ψα., etc.
Finally, I allowed myself to to be softened up to the extent that I would be ready to agree to the discussion under the following conditions:
I can a priori not recognize any of those who are more or less interested in ψα. as adherents of Freudian psychoanalysis, since I am not aquainted with their views about the details of the questions that interest us. I consider myself today (as long as I am not instructed by a better) the only one here who understands and does psychoanalysis in your sense. So, if they want to discuss Freudian psychoanalysis, they should give me the right to react immediately to every individual speech.
Without harboring the illusion that this discussion will serve any purpose in merito and convince even one opponent or make him waver, I still don't consider it out of the question that I can take the opponents and half-opponents,