Overview

This book delves into the history, current status, and possible future directions of psychoanalysis in the community, outside the traditional consulting room. The book begins by digging into the individualistic origins of psychoanalysis and the clear definitions around what counts as psychoanalysis and what does not, even to this day. It also explores what has remained constant even as psychoanalysis has splintered into many schools of thought. Rather than rejecting individualistic thinking entirely, Altman investigates how a mix of individual- and community-focused work has been effective in various international settings and the role that the arts can play in informing psychoanalytic practice. In pursuit of the new doors that open as psychoanalysis expands in relational directions, this book considers a range of clinical programs that have recently evolved in non-traditional contexts: in schools, in the streets, and in religious and spiritual communities. With access to new and non-traditional modes of understanding and intervention, new possibilities become thinkable. With international examples of successful community work and drawing on Altman's extensive clinical experience, this is key reading for psychoanalysts and psychotherapists wanting to explore community practice.

Full Product Details

9781041116912

Table of Contents

Reviews

‘This is the badly needed definitive textbook, an inspiration for every student of Psychoanalysis in the Community. Altman fills a need for Departments of Psychology, Psychoanalytic Institutes and nationwide courses in Community Applications of Psychoanalysis. Lucidly explaining the origins of psychoanalytic work in communities, Altman begins with Freud’s free clinics and ends with modern theories of group interactions, group psychological processes, and connects us with nonlinear processes at work unseen and seldom appreciated by those of us working one on one in private offices. A tour de force, written boldly and honed by real-life work in the streets and public spaces of the world. A masterpiece.’ Gilbert Kliman, MD, receipient of the Janusz Korczak award for world’s best book concerning the nurture and well-being of children, Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Rieger Award, APSA’s Humanitarian Award, APSA’s Freud Award, IPA’s 2025 award for psychoanalytic research influencing other fields. ‘One of the most valuable contributions of Community Psychoanalysis, which aims to veer the profession away from its predominantly individualistic orientation, is the hard-won insight that communities are not undifferentiated groups, just as individuals can hardly be autonomous and autotelic. If people are singular entities, so are communities, Altman argues powerfully, paving the way for a psychoanalysis in the community that considers intrapsychic dynamics in the necessary context of social dynamics. Magisterial in its overview of the translations and adaptations of European psychoanalysis circulating in an international frame, the work is incisive and pragmatic in defining what psychoanalysis is, what the critical stakes of community psychoanalysis are, and what the discipline's very survival depends on. Altman proves himself a virtuoso analyst in the inner city, yet again, and additionally a historian of the social dimensions of psychoanalysis from its inception.’ Ankhi Mukherjee, University of Oxford, Author of “Unseen City: The Psychic Lives of the Urban Poor” ‘Community Psychoanalysis: bringing the individual and the collective together” accomplishes what it sets out to do. It has a breadth, scope and historical focus that bridges global and national events. The push for community psychoanalysis continues to be a challenge, yet there are initiatives that may yet yield greater results. This book will certainly contribute to moving this effort forward.’ Luz Towns-Miranda, Ph.D. ‘Altman’s groundbreaking book shatters the boundaries of traditional psychoanalysis, charging the field to confront its own exclusivity and social blind spots. In a world where the social matrix shapes every psyche, Altman urges us to “take the red pill”—to see how power, community, and context pulse through every analytic encounter. Challenging the old model of the private office and high fees, he envisions a vibrant, flexible “community psychoanalysis” that lives in the real world, embracing diversity, unpredictability, and group dynamics. With passion and urgency, Altman demands a psychoanalysis that listens deeply, adapts boldly, and works for all, not just the few.’ Rev. Sheila P Johnson, MPS, LP, Chair and President, Harlem Family Services, Inc.

‘This is the badly needed definitive textbook, an inspiration for every student of Psychoanalysis in the Community. Altman fills a need for Departments of Psychology, Psychoanalytic Institutes and nationwide courses in Community Applications of Psychoanalysis. Lucidly explaining the origins of psychoanalytic work in communities, Altman begins with Freud’s free clinics and ends with modern theories of group interactions, group psychological processes, and connects us with nonlinear processes at work unseen and seldom appreciated by those of us working one on one in private offices. A tour de force, written boldly and honed by real-life work in the streets and public spaces of the world. A masterpiece.’ Gilbert Kliman, MD, receipient of the Janusz Korczak award for world’s best book concerning the nurture and well-being of children, Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Rieger Award, APSA’s Humanitarian Award, APSA’s Freud Award, IPA’s 2025 award for psychoanalytic research influencing other fields ‘One of the most valuable contributions of Community Psychoanalysis, which aims to veer the profession away from its predominantly individualistic orientation, is the hard-won insight that communities are not undifferentiated groups, just as individuals can hardly be autonomous and autotelic. If people are singular entities, so are communities, Altman argues powerfully, paving the way for a psychoanalysis in the community that considers intrapsychic dynamics in the necessary context of social dynamics. Magisterial in its overview of the translations and adaptations of European psychoanalysis circulating in an international frame, the work is incisive and pragmatic in defining what psychoanalysis is, what the critical stakes of community psychoanalysis are, and what the discipline's very survival depends on. Altman proves himself a virtuoso analyst in the inner city, yet again, and additionally a historian of the social dimensions of psychoanalysis from its inception.’ Ankhi Mukherjee, University of Oxford, Author of Unseen City: The Psychic Lives of the Urban Poor ‘Community Psychoanalysis: Bringing the Individual and the Collective Together accomplishes what it sets out to do. It has a breadth, scope and historical focus that bridges global and national events. The push for community psychoanalysis continues to be a challenge, yet there are initiatives that may yet yield greater results. This book will certainly contribute to moving this effort forward.’ Luz Towns-Miranda, PhD, Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, New York University ‘Altman’s groundbreaking book shatters the boundaries of traditional psychoanalysis, charging the field to confront its own exclusivity and social blind spots. In a world where the social matrix shapes every psyche, Altman urges us to “take the red pill”—to see how power, community, and context pulse through every analytic encounter. Challenging the old model of the private office and high fees, he envisions a vibrant, flexible “community psychoanalysis” that lives in the real world, embracing diversity, unpredictability, and group dynamics. With passion and urgency, Altman demands a psychoanalysis that listens deeply, adapts boldly, and works for all, not just the few.’ Rev. Sheila P Johnson, MPS, LP, Chair and President, Harlem Family Services, Inc.

‘This is the badly needed definitive textbook, an inspiration for every student of Psychoanalysis in the Community. Altman fills a need for Departments of Psychology, Psychoanalytic Institutes and nationwide courses in Community Applications of Psychoanalysis. Lucidly explaining the origins of psychoanalytic work in communities, Altman begins with Freud’s free clinics and ends with modern theories of group interactions, group psychological processes, and connects us with nonlinear processes at work unseen and seldom appreciated by those of us working one on one in private offices. A tour de force, written boldly and honed by real-life work in the streets and public spaces of the world. A masterpiece.’ Gilbert Kliman, MD, receipient of the Janusz Korczak award for world’s best book concerning the nurture and well-being of children, Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Rieger Award, APSA’s Humanitarian Award, APSA’s Freud Award, IPA’s 2025 award for psychoanalytic research influencing other fields ‘One of the most valuable contributions of Community Psychoanalysis, which aims to veer the profession away from its predominantly individualistic orientation, is the hard-won insight that communities are not undifferentiated groups, just as individuals can hardly be autonomous and autotelic. If people are singular entities, so are communities, Altman argues powerfully, paving the way for a psychoanalysis in the community that considers intrapsychic dynamics in the necessary context of social dynamics. Magisterial in its overview of the translations and adaptations of European psychoanalysis circulating in an international frame, the work is incisive and pragmatic in defining what psychoanalysis is, what the critical stakes of community psychoanalysis are, and what the discipline's very survival depends on. Altman proves himself a virtuoso analyst in the inner city, yet again, and additionally a historian of the social dimensions of psychoanalysis from its inception.’ Ankhi Mukherjee, University of Oxford, Author of Unseen City: The Psychic Lives of the Urban Poor ‘Community Psychoanalysis: bringing the individual and the collective together” accomplishes what it sets out to do. It has a breadth, scope and historical focus that bridges global and national events. The push for community psychoanalysis continues to be a challenge, yet there are initiatives that may yet yield greater results. This book will certainly contribute to moving this effort forward.’ Luz Towns-Miranda, Ph.D. ‘Altman’s groundbreaking book shatters the boundaries of traditional psychoanalysis, charging the field to confront its own exclusivity and social blind spots. In a world where the social matrix shapes every psyche, Altman urges us to “take the red pill”—to see how power, community, and context pulse through every analytic encounter. Challenging the old model of the private office and high fees, he envisions a vibrant, flexible “community psychoanalysis” that lives in the real world, embracing diversity, unpredictability, and group dynamics. With passion and urgency, Altman demands a psychoanalysis that listens deeply, adapts boldly, and works for all, not just the few.’ Rev. Sheila P Johnson, MPS, LP, Chair and President, Harlem Family Services, Inc.

Author Information

Neil Altman is the author of The Analyst in the Inner City: Race, Class, and Culture through a Psychoanalytic Lens, White Privilege: Psychoanalytic Perspectives, and Psychoanalysis in an Age of Accelerating Cultural Change: Spiritual Globalization. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Harlem Family Services, New York, N.Y.

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