Institutional problems of psychoanalytic education

Journal title PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE
Author/s Otto F. Kernberg
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2026/3
Language Italian Pages 28 P. 457-484 File size 377 KB
DOI 10.3280/PU2026-003008
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Psychoanalytic training is critically analyzed and shown how it often exists in a climate of indoctrination, idealization of training analysts, and a lack of transparency. Candidates learn primarily from limited and idealized experiences, and institutions are often characterized by paranoid dynamics, opaque hierarchies, and a lack of scientific creativity. Distortions also arise from the very nature of the psychoanalytic process, which in an institutional context amplifies transferences, idealizations, and defensive dynamics. There is a discrepancy between the goals of training and its organizational structure, which is closer to religious institutions, and four models are proposed: 1) the art academy; 2) the technical or commercial institute; 3) the monastery or religious community; 4) the university faculty. The best solution may be a model that combines the characteristics of the art academy and the university faculty, valuing critical debate, transparency, and explicit selection criteria for candidates and training analysts.

Keywords: Psychoanalytic training; Training analysis; Idealization; Indoctrination; Power hierarchies

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Otto F. Kernberg, Problemi istituzionali del training psicoanalitico (1984) in "PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE" 3/2026, pp 457-484, DOI: 10.3280/PU2026-003008