An Online Reading and Discussion Group facilitated by Donald R. Ross, MD & Asli Baykal, PhD, LCSW
A Note from the Program Chair: Many clinicians have heard of psychoanalytic treatment as a process of transforming ghosts into ancestors. However, there is much more than the ancestor concept to be learned from the writings of Hans Loewald. This study group will offer an introduction to his ideas about development and treatment. The group will be co-facilitated by Don Ross, who has previously taught about Loewald’s theories, and Asli Baykal, who found a bridge between her two fields of study– cultural anthropology and psychoanalysis– in Loewald’s work. ********** JoAnn Ponder, PhD
Hans Loewald (1906-1993) was a German-American psychiatrist-psychoanalyst, a comprehensive and original theorist, an innovator in integrating psychoanalytic schools of thought. He combined drive theory, object relations, self-psychology, interpersonal theory, and sociocultural factors in his theories, paving the way for an increased interest in intersubjectivity in psychoanalysis. He viewed the psyche as embedded in the infant-parent interaction and emphasized the role of internalization in development and treatment. According to his view of therapeutic action, the psychoanalyst’s interpretations promote insight and also provide a new object relational experience. In this manner, the ghosts from the patient’s past that haunt their current life are gradually transformed into ancestors. While Loewald was not as well-known as other psychoanalytic scholars in his lifetime, there recently has been a resurgence of interest in his thinking. This renewed interest led to the founding of the Hans W. Loewald Center in New York in 2022, dedicated to promulgating his legacy and vision of psychoanalysis.
This study group will explore Loewald’s ideas and consider their application to clinical practice. The group will be limited to 15 members. Registrants should have a solid grounding in psychoanalytic theory and be willing to read the assigned articles. The readings will be supplied to group members.
