TOWARD UNIFICATION OF TRAINING IN PSYCHIATRY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS
HOWARD W. POTTER M. D.1, and
HENRIETTE R. KLEIN M. D.2
1 The Departments of Psychiatry, State University of New York, College of Medicine, New York.
2 Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York.
1. In this study, all residents indicated a need for organized training in psychodynamics throughout their residencies.
2. Because of the many variables, observers could make no valid comparisons between the professional competence of residents who were in training at psychoanalytic institutes and those not being similarly trained.
3. Residents in training at analytic institutes felt that this did not set up restrictions or limitations nor interfere with their clinical work but, rather, operated in a positive way during the residency training.
4. All the teaching psychiatrists and all the teaching psychoanalysts agree that organized instruction in psychodynamics should be given in the residency training center.
5. Opinions about the value of a personal analysis independent of training for the practice of psychoanalysis were found to be based on tradition or personal experience rather than on investigative studies.
6. The general consensus of teaching analysts was that there could be no modification of personal analysis of residents as to depth, breadth, or time.
7. Half of the analysts who recommended that residents undertake a personal analysis stated that it should begin at the start of the psychiatric residency or before. There were only a few who felt personal analysis should not begin until after 2 years of psychiatry.
8. Some teaching analysts stated that psychiatric residents who had had or were having personal analysis on their own still should not have courses in psychodynamics that would be the equivalent of that given in the first year at a psychoanalytic institute, although three-fifths of the teaching analysts felt that they should.
