The dark side of competition - Psychoanalytic insights to the establishing of new Psychoanalytic institutes.

On 1999 two analytic institutes were established in Israel: Tel-Aviv Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis and the Israeli Institute for Group Analysis. The establishing of these institutes was unique because they were founded by very experienced professionals, practicing psychotherapists (clinical psychologist, social workers and psychiatrists), and teachers of psychoanalysis and group psychotherapy for many years. However, the founding professionals of these institutes were not psychoanalysts themselves. The two institutes were founded at the same time but yet independently. Both institutes were rejected by a large number of other institutes and professionals in the country and outside the country, but also were supported by others. Both institutes are today well grounded in the professional community in Israel. It occurred to us that both rejection and support are inherent to any process of establishing a new institute. Conscious and unconscious emotions and motivations play a crucial pat in the interaction between the new institutes (and their founders) and the old ones (and their key figures). Jealousy and competition as well as generosity and appreciation may accompany rational consideration in this process. The aim of this paper is to explore the background (international, national and professional) that encouraged and caused these institutes to be established, the various groups that opposed their founding; to delineate some of the emotions, motivations and processes that characterized the founding of new institutes in their environment.