Dr Michael Fordham: Father of the Developmental Jungian School – Anniversary Tribute

On Saturday 6 June 2026, this one-day hybrid conference will be held in the SAP Library and online to honour the work and legacy of Dr Michael Fordham (1905–1995) and to mark the 80th anniversary of the Society of Analytical Psychology.
Fordham was the driving force behind the establishment of the first formal Jungian analytic training in the world. In 1946 he founded the SAP, developed its adult and child training programmes, and secured C. G. Jung’s approval, with Jung subsequently becoming the Society’s first Honorary President.
Fordham’s theoretical contributions were equally influential. Drawing on his work with infants and children, he reformulated the Jungian concept of the Self as present from the beginning of life, introducing the idea of the “primary self” and the developmental processes of de-integration and re-integration. These ideas enabled Analytical Psychology to engage more directly with early development and object-relations thinking, placing Fordham in a productive dialogue with both Winnicott and Klein while maintaining a distinctly Jungian framework.
Fordham also played a major role in the wider dissemination of Analytical Psychology. He co-edited the English translation of Jung’s Collected Works, founded the Journal of Analytical Psychology, and was a founding member of the Royal Institute of Psychiatry.

Presenters:
Mr James Astor
Dr Francesco Bisagni
Dr Christine Driver,
Professor Jean Knox
Professor Richard Mizen
Mr William Meredith Owen
Dr Barry Proner(video presentation)
Ms Marica Rytövaara

Conference Chair: Professor Richard Mizen

Conference Convenor: Jay Barlow

Programme

9h00 Tea and Coffee on arrival

9h30 – 10h00 Introduction to the day
Richard Mizen, Conference Chair

10h00 – 11h00 Opening Talk
James Astor

11h00 – 11h30 refreshment break

11h30 – 13h00 Panel 1

13h00 – 14h00 lunch

14h00 – 15h30 Panel 2

15h30 – 15h45 refreshment break

15h45 – 16h45 Closing Talk
Richard Mizen and Jean Knox

16h45 – 17h00 refreshment break

17h00 – 18h00 Conference Plenary
Chair and all presenters