Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry

Abstract

On the occasion of its 50 anniversary, the members of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry can look back with pride and be aware that this professional society has been true to its original goal and passionate mission. Thanks for this momentous accomplishment goes to its founding fathers and mothers, who were clear in their purpose and whose wisdom is manifest in the Academy's constitution. In the 1930s, the orthodoxy of the American Psychoanalytic Association created a ferment of rebellion in most of its institutes, which led to secessions, sister institutes, and a greater open-mindedness in institutes residing in Chicago, Washington, New Orleans, and Detroit. The quest for a new national forum that would be open to an exchange of new ideas began in 1951 and culminated in the formation of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis in 1956. The spirit of the Academy is highlighted by relating the successful struggle of communication among its members in a dream workshop that existed for six years.