ISSUE 57.2 SPRING/SUMMER 2023
Psychoanalysis is about the sum-total of what it is to be human. So is TAP.
The American Psychoanalyst (TAP) has been published by the American Psychoanalytic Association for over 50 years. In 2023, it underwent a makeover and a rebirth, much like psychoanalysis itself has done in the last decades. The field of psychoanalysis, founded by Sigmund Freud, started a revolution in psychology by introducing talk therapy and the notion of unconscious thoughts and feelings. The 21st century has witnessed an explosion of new evidence in support of 20th-century psychoanalytic ideas like defense mechanisms and the lasting influence of childhood attachments. The New York Times has called it a “Freudaissance”: people are returning to psychoanalytic thinking to explain the crazy behavior they see all around them and to understand themselves and seek out change. To meet and expand upon this rebirth of interest in the science of feelings and consciousness, TAP offers a psychoanalytic perspective on current events in psychology, the arts, and culture for mental health professionals, students, and the general public. TAP’s bold, human-interest stories contribute a powerful psychoanalytic voice to the national conversation around mental health.
TAP: THE AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYST
Editor in Chief
AUSTIN RATNER
Managing Editor
LUCAS MCGRANAHAN
Art Director
AUSTIN HUGHES
Design Director
MELISSA OVERTON
Advisor
MICHAEL SLEVIN
THE AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYTIC ASSOCIATION
President
DANIEL W. PREZANT
Secretary
BONNIE J. BUCHELE
Treasurer
JULIO G. CALDERON
Marketing
DAVE CAMERON
Executive Director
THOMAS H. NEWMAN
On the cover
The cover image, Sea Change by Austin Hughes, depicts a swimmer diving through air to convey the idea that depth psychology charts a path to liberating flight. The theme of the issue is “sea change.” Easter egg: look for a reference to one of Freud’s classic case studies.