Abstract of Panel for London Congress 2019

IPA Inter-Regional Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychoanalysis (IRED) Task Force: Multi-Dimensional Collaborative Journey in Progress


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After reviewing the historical mandate which inaugurated the IPA Encyclopedic Dictionary, and the unique methodology employed to fulfil its objectives, the panel presenters will report on the specific multidimensional processes within and among the three regions of the IPA, which transpired during 2014-2019, in the construction and electronic publication of inter-regional entries.  

First, the Chair of the  Encyclopedic Dictionary Task Force Stefano Bolognini will summarize the basic philosophy and objectives, employing “the IPA’s human resources, the scientific potential and the cultural articulation to create a complete and advanced Encyclopedic Dictionary that is truly representative of the various theoretical trends and schools in the psychoanalytic world. The goal is to provide all psychoanalysts and psychotherapists who work psychoanalytically with a truly international up-to-date tool for consultation and reference of superior quality and ‘wide scope’, which represents both the trunk and the branches of the psychoanalytic tree, as it has grown from Freud to the present time.” Consequently, the aim is not necessarily an ‘integration’, but broad, complete representation, with convergences and differences clearly described, in full respect to their cultural-theoretical specificity and their historical and cultural background.

The three regional co-chairs will elaborate on the first 5 years of their regional and inter-regional work, from the selection of the concepts, formation of regional and inter-regional conceptual teams, to their electronic publication on the IPA web site:

- Eva D. Papiasvili, the Co-Chair for North America, will summarize the core methodology employed to meet the above objectives, focusing on its two unique features: selection of concepts, deemed by the regional teams of consulting analysts (today’s editorial board)  of different theoretical orientations to be most relevant to today’s psychoanalysts at work,  and the inter-regional  construction of final entries, published on the pages of the e-book on the IPA web site. She will also decribe how this methodology was implemented intra-regionally in North America and in her inter-regional work with entries such as The Unconscious, Countertransference, Enactment, Containment, Conflict, Object Relations Theories, and others. 

- Arne Jemstedt,  the Co-Chair for Europe, will elaborate on multiple features of this process, specific to  Europe and to his inter-regional work with entries such as Transference, Setting, Nachträglichkeit, Projective Identification and others, including intra-regional and inter-regional convergences and divergences in writing style and content of conceptual thought. He will also address the ways how the conceptual teams in Europe expanded to include many diverse perspectives. Further, he will report on regional meetings of the European contributors.

-Ines Bayona, the Co-Chair for Latin America, will present on multiple dimensions of this process, specific to  Latin America, including the ways how highly original regional conceptualizations, such as Theory of Communication, Unconscious Logic, Multiple Field Theories, Feminine/Femininity and others find their way into the inter-regional entries.  She will also explore specific ways of applying the core methodology to expand the pool of contributors. 

The intent is to engage the wide IPA community in an informed discussion about multiple aspects of this multi-layered collaborative work in progress.