The Analytic Super-Ego

"The aim of this paper was to analyse some of the inhibitions, anxieties and conflicts that beset the psychoanalytic community by setting them in a context of the anxieties that arise in clinical work from our limited ability to relieve our patients (and our own) distress. Rather than pointing accusatory fingers (another variation on the super-ego theme), I was inspired by Menzies-Lyth’s classic paper on Social Systems as a Defence Against Anxiety to think about the kind of anxieties and defences which might affect (and infect) the organisation of the psychoanalytic profession. The paper was written around 15 years ago and although my thinking hasn’t changed much since then, my relation to my own version of the analytic super-ego has altered considerably (for the better!)." 

This presentation will aim to combine some parts of the original paper with subsequent reflections, as well as filling in some of the background as to how the paper came to be written.

Warren Colman trained and worked at the Tavistock Marital Studies Institute from 1982-1997.  During that time he also trained at the Society of Analytical Psychology and is now a supervising and training analyst at the SAP.  He is a former Editor of the Journal of Analytical Psychology, a trainer for developing groups of Jungian analysts in Central and Eastern Europe and the author of many papers on a range of topics.  His book, Act and Image: The Emergence of Symbolic Imagination was published by Spring Journal Books in 2016.

Registration and refreshments from 10:30 am, the Seminar will start at 11:00 am and end at 12:30 pm.

For more information on the complete CPD Seminar Series please click here.