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About TAP

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. 

Guidelines for Authors

Thank you for your interest in submitting to The American Psychoanalyst. TAP is a print and digital magazine offering a psychoanalytic perspective on mental health, arts, culture, and current events. We believe that the tradition stemming from Freud has important insights to offer the contemporary moment, and we want to be an important part of spreading those insights to a popular as well as clinical audience. 

TAP accepts both pitches and full articles from writers of all backgrounds, including coauthors. We welcome reporting by journalists, personal memoirs that evoke psychoanalytic themes, discussions of the state of the mental health professions by clinicians, and historical and conceptual analysis by scholars. In all cases, we seek to produce engaging stories that address a broad audience including but going beyond the membership of the American Psychoanalytic Association. For a sense of our scope and style, browse our website at tapmagazine.org or our Substack account. 

We are also interested in hearing from artists who would like to contribute their original work.

Submission and editorial process:

  • TAP accepts stories of different lengths (roughly 500 to 3,000 words), ranging from short blog-style writing to long-form essays. We do not accept poetry submissions.

  • The text must be previously unpublished and the author’s own work. We do not accept stories drafted or revised by AI programs such as Claude or ChatGPT. The use of AI for research assistance or brainstorming is permitted.

  • Any discussion of clinical work must anonymize patients. Authors must take all necessary measures to ensure that none of the individuals written about can be identified by any third party.

  • TAP is not a scholarly journal. Please briefly explain any historical figures, traditions, or terminology that general readers may not be familiar with. Do not use formal citations, whether in footnotes or parentheses. You may directly mention important authors and texts and use hyperlinks to important sources.

  • The text must be submitted in English in an editable Word document (not PDF). Please include a 40-word author bio to accompany your piece.

  • Stories are edited for style and content in collaboration with the author. Authors are expected to review and respond to edits in a timely and flexible fashion. Feedback is provided using the tracked changes and commenting features in Microsoft Word. TAP’s house style, adapted from The Chicago Manual of Style, will be employed for consistency. 

  • TAP publishes all accepted stories online and a subset in print, based on space and thematic considerations. Online publication does not guarantee placement in a print issue.

  • We can offer modest payment to writers for longer stories or those that involve research/reporting. There is no fee to submit.

  • Simultaneous submissions are accepted. Please notify us if your story is accepted elsewhere.

  • Please allow three weeks for review. Publication decisions are at the discretion of TAP editors and are final.

  • Contributors will be asked to agree to our author terms or artist terms prior to publication.

Submit your pitch or story to submissions@tapmag.org. Send general inquiries to info@tapmag.org.

Thanks again for contributing to the psychoanalytic conversation!

TAP: THE AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYST

Editor in Chief

Lucas McGranahan

Contributing Editor

Austin Ratner

Art Director

Austin Hughes

Design Director

Melissa Overton

THE AMERICAN PSYCHOANALYTIC ASSOCIATION

President

BONNIE J. BUCHELE

President-Elect

CAROLINE M. SEHON

Secretary

Paula Moreci

Treasurer

JULIO G. CALDERON

Executive Director

THOMAS H. NEWMAN