Freud Is Present in Undergraduate Curricula, Except in Psychology Dept

Newswise — The American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) has announced the results of its investigation of the prevalence of teaching about psychoanalytic ideas in the undergraduate curricula of 150 highly-ranked colleges and universities, accomplished by conducting a software-based search of published course catalogues for references to psychoanalytic content. This study, to be published in the June 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, is a project of APsaA's "Task Force on Psychoanalysis and Undergraduate Education" and was conducted by Michael Shulman, Ph.D. Associate faculty, Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and Adjunct faculties, University of Michigan, Madonna University and University of Toledo; and Jonathan Redmond, M.S., The Guidance Center, Southgate, MI. A consultant to Shulman and Redmond was James Hansell, Ph.D., adjunct assistant professor of psychology, University of Michigan and member of APsaA's Task Force.

"Psychoanalysis' influence is evident in many departments throughout the humanities and social sciences, but is surprisingly much less evident in departments of psychology than one might expect, given its having provided the foundation for the development of many psychological theories and psychotherapies. As a general theory of individual human behavior and experience, psychoanalytic ideas enrich and are enriched by the study of the biological and social sciences, group behavior, history, philosophy, art, and literature. As a developmental theory, psychoanalysis contributes to child psychology, education, law, and family studies," commented Prudy Gourguechon, MD, Chair, APsaA's Task Force on Undergraduate Education and President-elect of the association.

The study found that psychoanalytic ideas were represented somewhere within the curricula of most (though not all) of these schools, and that, overall, there were many times more courses featuring psychoanalytic ideas outside of Psychology departments than within them. The data also suggest that there are regional differences in the likelihood an undergraduate will encounter psychoanalytic ideas at these schools.

The question of where psychoanalytic ideas have footholds within American academic institutions -- especially colleges and universities devoted to the liberal arts education of undergraduates -- is currently an open question. But it is an issue that has concerned some within the American Psychoanalytic Association sufficiently to initiate The 10,000 Minds Project, implemented by a "Task Force on Psychoanalysis and Undergraduate Education" [TFUE], a working group comprised of analysts, educators, students and other interested parties, whose mission is to study ways to increase the exposure of American undergraduate students to psychoanalytic ideas.

"College age students have a deep interest in understanding why people do the things the do, and addressing the really big questions of relationships, culture, imagination, aggression and creativity. We psychoanalysts know how much our field can contribute to the exploration of these questions, and we wanted to make sure undergraduates had the chance to access the riches of psychoanalytic thought during their education." said Dr. Gourguechon.

This research survey was conducted as an endeavor of the Task Force. Another endeavor of the Task Force has been the development of http://www.teachpsychoanalysis.com, a website containing curricula, syllabi, ideas, and resources for educators who are introducing their students to psychoanalytic theory. Funding for this study as well as the website was provided by grants from the International Psychoanalytical Association and the American Psychoanalytic Association.

For a list of Schools surveyed, check: http://www.apsa.org/NEWS/SCHOOLSSURVEYEDFORSTUDY/tabid/499/Default.aspx

The American Psychoanalytic Association is a professional organization of psychoanalysts throughout the United States and is comprised of approximately 3,500 members. Visit www.apsa.org for more information.