William Alanson White Institute
Encyclopedia
The William Alanson White Institute, founded in 1946, is an institution for training psychoanalysts and psychotherapists. It is located in New York City
, USA, on the Upper West Side, in the Clara Thompson
building.
The William Alanson White Institute (WAWI) has explored new territory in psychoanalytic theory and praxis, breaking away in protest in the middle of the last century from the mainstream of American
psychoanalytic thought, which was thought constrictive by the psychoanalysts who founded the institute.
The founders of WAWI are Erich Fromm
and Clara Thompson
, joined by Harry Stack Sullivan
, Frieda Fromm-Reichmann
, David Rioch and Janet Rioch. The William Alanson White Institute emphasizes psychoanalytic activism in relation to issues of importance in culture and society, and addresses problems of living which are considered to be beyond the scope of classical psychoanalysis. WAWI is strongly influenced by the work of Sándor Ferenczi
, a member of Freud's inner circle who pioneered the analyst's authentic use of himself in the consulting room, emphasizing the mutuality of the relationship between therapist and client.
In 2001, the American Psychoanalytic Association
presented its first Psychoanalytic Community Clinic of the Year Award to the Clinical Service of the William Alanson White Institute for providing very high quality psychotherapy
at a modest price to people suffering from depression, personality disorders, eating disorders, and other psychological problems.
WAWI offers training programs, continuing education and clinical services, including hosting conferences, lecture series, and symposia. It publishes the journal Contemporary Psychoanalysis
, edited by Mark J. Blechner
. The journal reports advances in the application of psychotherapy
and psychoanalysis
to depression, personality disorders, conflicts about sex
and gender
, and other psychological problems.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, USA, on the Upper West Side, in the Clara Thompson
Clara Thompson
Clara Mabel Thompson studied medicine at Johns Hopkins University and in her last year she was introduced to psychoanalysis. In the future years she developed as a psychoanalyst working with people like William Alanson White, Adolf Meyer, Harry Stack Sullivan, Joseph Cheesman Thompson, and Sándor...
building.
The William Alanson White Institute (WAWI) has explored new territory in psychoanalytic theory and praxis, breaking away in protest in the middle of the last century from the mainstream of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychoanalytic thought, which was thought constrictive by the psychoanalysts who founded the institute.
The founders of WAWI are Erich Fromm
Erich Fromm
Erich Seligmann Fromm was a Jewish German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was associated with what became known as the Frankfurt School of critical theory.-Life:Erich Fromm was born on March 23, 1900, at Frankfurt am...
and Clara Thompson
Clara Thompson
Clara Mabel Thompson studied medicine at Johns Hopkins University and in her last year she was introduced to psychoanalysis. In the future years she developed as a psychoanalyst working with people like William Alanson White, Adolf Meyer, Harry Stack Sullivan, Joseph Cheesman Thompson, and Sándor...
, joined by Harry Stack Sullivan
Harry Stack Sullivan
Harry Stack Sullivan was a U.S. psychiatrist whose work in psychoanalysis was based on direct and verifiable observation .-Life and works:Sullivan was a child of Irish immigrants and allegedly grew up in an...
, Frieda Fromm-Reichmann
Frieda Fromm-Reichmann
Frieda Fromm-Reichmann was a German psychiatrist and contemporary of Sigmund Freud who emigrated to America during World War II.-Life and work:...
, David Rioch and Janet Rioch. The William Alanson White Institute emphasizes psychoanalytic activism in relation to issues of importance in culture and society, and addresses problems of living which are considered to be beyond the scope of classical psychoanalysis. WAWI is strongly influenced by the work of Sándor Ferenczi
Sándor Ferenczi
Sándor Ferenczi was a Hungarian psychoanalyst, a key theorist of the psychoanalytic school and a close associate of Sigmund Freud.-Biography:...
, a member of Freud's inner circle who pioneered the analyst's authentic use of himself in the consulting room, emphasizing the mutuality of the relationship between therapist and client.
In 2001, the American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychoanalytic Association is an association of psychoanalysts in the United States. It was founded in 1911, and forms part of the International Psychoanalytical Association.-External links:**...
presented its first Psychoanalytic Community Clinic of the Year Award to the Clinical Service of the William Alanson White Institute for providing very high quality psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
at a modest price to people suffering from depression, personality disorders, eating disorders, and other psychological problems.
WAWI offers training programs, continuing education and clinical services, including hosting conferences, lecture series, and symposia. It publishes the journal Contemporary Psychoanalysis
Contemporary Psychoanalysis
Contemporary Psychoanalysis is a quarterly academic journal for the dissemination of progressive psychoanalytic ideas. For decades, the journal, which was founded in 1964, was the only one to publish articles from all schools of psychoanalysis, including interpersonal, relational, Freudian,...
, edited by Mark J. Blechner
Mark J. Blechner
Mark J. Blechner is an American psychologist and psychoanalyst. He has developed and researched new ideas in a number of areas: dreams, gender and sexuality, HIV/AIDS, psychotherapy and the interface between neuroscience and psychoanalysis...
. The journal reports advances in the application of psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
and psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
to depression, personality disorders, conflicts about sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
and gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, and other psychological problems.