On Idealism and Soberness

It is highly likely that most of us who have founded a psychoanalytic institute or have been responsible for administering one have approached this responsibility with something that approximates idealistic hopes and dreams. As with most other significant commitments in life, however, one soon finds that perfection does not exist, and one begins to adjust to aims and goals that fall short of the original ideals. Even within the most successful and well-respected institutions administrators must recognize the necessity for adaptive compromise.     

Ferenczi's “Madness”

Seven contributions from a combination of psychoanalysts, writers, and one academic are discussed. All contributors try to arrive at some understanding of how psychoanalysis has been depicted in the media and why so many of these portrayals tend to be outlandish. The authors' speculations range from efforts to deal with the threat of someone who can see unconscious process to a satirization and exaggeration of what may be actual qualities in many analysts. Each author's implicit or explicit psychoanalytic theory has much to do with his or her respective hypotheses.