Becoming Analysts: Development of PSA Identity

Adult Psychoanalytic Training (APT)
2021-22, 2nd Trimester — Fridays, 3:30-5:00pm
Sue Radant, PhD

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Introduction

Thank you all for completing the survey I sent last Fall asking for potential topics for this class.

Given that this class is your very last didactic course and it is an important topic, I would like to make it a fun, helpful and integrative class. To that end I have gone light on the readings to allow more time for class discussion of the articles, and of your experiences related to the papers. I have also tried to select enjoyable and contemporary articles.

The goal of this class is to help you further define and refine your own psychoanalytic identity. We do understand of course that one’s psychoanalytic identity is constantly evolving construct throughout our professional lifespan. Nonetheless, we will reflect upon such issues as what is meant by a psychoanalytic identity, the developmental progression from clinical associate to faculty, the role of theory and how to develop a psychoanalytic practice. In addition, since we are living in such strange times we will look at how Covid is affecting our practices, racism, and politics.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this four-week course, the participants will be able to:

1. Be able to define more clearly their psychoanalytic identity in terms of personal characteristics, theoretical perspective, and real self
2. Describe how contemporary issues such as Covid, racism, and politics have impacted their work lives and work as clinicians.
3. Describe their experiences from beginning psychoanalytic training to completion of the didactic portion of training, and how it has contributed to their identity as a psychoanalyst.

May 6, 2022 — What is meant by a psychoanalytic identity? And how do we describe what we do to our non-analytic colleagues?

[10 pages]

In this class we read a paper by Lew Aron in which he makes comparisons between being a psychoanalyst and a rock guitarist, in terms of psychoanalytic identity, doing psychoanalysis, race, play and creativity. Some of his quotes are drawn from Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Eddie Van Halen, and B.B. King. He proposes that we can learn a lot about how to be creative and genuine psychoanalysts by following the advice of these pre-eminent musicians.

Aron, L. (2015) Race, Roots, and Rhythm: Riffing on Rock ’n’ Roll: An Introduction. Psychoanalytic Dialogues 25:153-162