The JAP turned 70 this year and the anticipation is building for the celebratory online conference which is just around the corner on Friday, November 7th, and Saturday, November 8th. If you want to attend you should register now.
The very first issue of the Journal of Analytical Psychology, published in 1955, featured a selection of articles that explored themes and clinical cases in analytical psychology from a remarkably broad range of perspectives. John Layard examined primitive ritual and archetypal symbolism in relation to schizophrenia, while Robert F. Hobson explored archetypal themes in depression with particular attention to psychopathological mechanisms. Robert Moody contributed a relational perspective through his case study on counter-transference, emphasizing Jung’s conception of the therapeutic relationship as a reciprocal, dialectical process between analyst and patient. Amy I. Allenby investigated the father archetype in feminine psychology, and Anthony Storr made innovative connections between Jung’s self-regulating psyche and the emerging field of cybernetics. This inaugural issue thus showcased perspectives ranging from the archetypal and anthropological to the relational and interdisciplinary. The journal’s standing as a forum for engagement between the different currents of Jungian thought and practice, has led to it becoming the pre-eminent journal of the Jungian world bringing critical attention to the most important controversies & trends in Analytical Psychology.
The conference theme, Controversies & Contemporary Trends in Analytical Psychology, could hardly be more apt. Its programme promises a rich exploration of the field’s most vital debates, bringing together authors whose JAP publications have profoundly shaped contemporary discourse. Former US Editor John Beebe opens by reflecting on the Journal’s pivotal role in fostering dialogue between classical, developmental, and relational approaches. On Saturday, attention turns to some of the discipline’s most urgent controversies: Christian Roesler and Eric Goodwyn debate archetypal foundations; Susanna Wright and Mark Winborn address countertransference and embodiment; Jean Knox and Joe Cambray consider the integration of affect, implicit memory, and attachment research; while Kevin Lu and Sam Kimbles explore cultural complexes and phantom narratives.
The conference will be held in online format, with recordings made available for those who cannot attend live. Register here.