Scope and Content Note
The records of the Washington Psychoanalytic Society span the years 1914-2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1973 to 1988. The collection highlights several periods in the organization’s history, including its founding in 1914 and its evolution to train a broader group of practitioners in the 1980s and 1990s. Also documented are the research interests of members associated with the organization related to publications on William A. White and Smith Ely Jelliffe. The papers are primarily in English, with some German found in the research materials.
The collection documents the founding of the Washington Psychoanalytic Society in 1914 at the Government Hospital for the Insane (later Saint Elizabeth's Hospital) in Washington, D.C. A minute book spans the first meeting in 1914 through 1928 and sheds light on the membership, topics of discussion, and the finances of the organization during this early period. Also documented are activities of the Education Committee in the 1980s and 1990s, including some courses taught during this period. A significant portion of material relates to a symposium held by the organization in 1973 titled “William Alanson White, the Washington Years: 1903-1937.” The symposium was organized as a joint meeting of the Washington Psychoanalytic Society and the Washington Psychiatric Society. The collection contains planning and research material as well as drafts of papers given at the symposium that resulted in William Alanson White, the Washington Years, 1903-1937, a publication edited by Arcangelo R. T. D’Amore. Also included is research material on Smith Ely Jelliffe for John C. Burnham's 1983 publication, Jelliffe, American Psychoanalyst and Physician, including book drafts and copies of correspondence between Smith Ely Jelliffe and Sigmund Freud.