The controversial discussions were a protracted series of meetings of the

British Psychoanalytical Society The British Psychoanalytical Society was founded by the British neurologist Ernest Jones as the London Psychoanalytical Society on 30 October 1913. It is one of two organizations in Britain training psychoanalysts, the other being the British ...

which took place between October 1942 and February 1944 between the Viennese school and the supporters of

Melanie Klein Melanie Klein (née Reizes; 30 March 1882 – 22 September 1960) was an Austrian-British author and psychoanalyst known for her work in child analysis. She was the primary figure in the development of object relations theory. Klein suggested th ...

. They led to a tripartite division of training in the society after the war with the three groups of Kleinians,

Anna Freud Anna Freud (3 December 1895 – 9 October 1982) was a British psychoanalyst of Austrian-Jewish descent. She was born in Vienna, the sixth and youngest child of Sigmund Freud and Martha Bernays. She followed the path of her father and contribu ...

ians, and the Middle (or later Independent) Group. In these sessions the differences between classical Freudian analysis and newer Kleinian theory were argued with considerable vehemence. The Freudian side was principally represented by

, who was resistant to the revisions of theory and method proposed by Klein as a result of her work as an analyst of young children. The Klein Group included Susan Isaacs,

Joan Riviere Joan Hodgson Riviere (28 June 1883 – 20 May 1962) was a British psychoanalyst, who was both an early translator of Freud into English and an influential writer on her own account. Life and career Riviere was born Joan Hodgson Verrall in Br ...

, Paula Heimann, and Roger Money-Kyrle. The Anna Freud Group included Kate Friedlander, and Willie Hoffer. The " Middle Group", who tried to apply a moderating force included Ella Freeman Sharpe, James Strachey, Sylvia Payne,

Donald Winnicott Donald Woods Winnicott (7 April 1896 – 25 January 1971) was an English paediatrician and psychoanalyst who was especially influential in the field of object relations theory and developmental psychology. He was a leading member of the Brit ...

, William Gillespie, Marjorie Brierley, and later, Michael Balint. In the agreement, eventually formalised in November 1946, two parallel training courses were established, one for candidates aligned to the Anna Freud school and one incorporating training from Freudian and Kleinian analysts as well as from the non-aligned analysts from the Middle or Independent Group. On this basis the agreement specified that: * There should be one Training Committee responsible for all matters regarding the selection, training, and qualification of students. * Students could opt to take either course. * Lectures and seminars other than those on technique would be common to all students. * Students would attend clinical and technical seminars taken by analysts of their own course or group. They could attend as guests those taken by members of the other course. * The first Supervisor must be from the student's own group, the second drawn from the non-aligned Middle Group. * In the third year all students would attend clinical seminars run by teachers from both courses. It was agreed further that all the key policy making committees of the BPS should have representatives from the three groups.Baker, Ron ‘The evolution of organisational and training procedures in psychoanalytic associations: a brief account of the unique British contribution’ in Johns, J. and Steiner, R. (eds) ''Within Time and Beyond Time: A Festschrift for Pearl King'', London: Karnac, 2001, pp. 66-78.

References

{{Reflist * Rycroft, C.: 'A Critical Dictionary of Psychoanalysis' (Penguin, 2nd Ed, 1995) *King, P. H. M. and Steiner, R.: ''The Freud/Klein Controversies in the British Psycho-Analytical Society, 1941—5'' (London, 1990) History of mental health in the United Kingdom Psychoanalysis

See also

References