THE CONTEXT

When the father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud, stated in 1917 that “the ego is not the master in its own house,”  he proposed that the conscious self (ego) is not in full control of the mind, as illustrated by dreams, jokes, Freudian slips. Also, that biological drives may force out reason. Freud viewed the conscious mind as holding only a small part of a person’s psychological life at any one moment, believing the unconscious more far-reaching and persistent in its influence…revealing a larger landscape including the ordinarily hidden part of a person.

Instead of omnipotence, Freud argued that the human mind is in a state of incompleteness – a non-static state which allows us to welcome new ideas. But also imposes limits on what we can expect of others or of life itself.

We operate in a world experiencing rapid technological transformation (e.g. AI, robotics), radical societal polarization and a surge of geopolitical tension or even war (e.g. Russia/Ukraine, the Middle East, the High North, Sudan). These developments can make it difficult to think coherently, leading to evasion and resignation on the one hand or rigidity and rage on the other.

What psychic conflict is going on? Who or what is in control? Where are leaders wrestling with drives over logical thinking at work? How are the notions of omnipotence or incompleteness playing out in organisations, nations or on the world stage? And what about within ourselves as practitioners?

Call for Papers

The Vienna committee invites you to be creative. To explore the theme of fantasies of omnipotence and incompleteness in organisations and in leadership. Of drives. Of subconscious ‘mistakes’. Of connection with the conference location.

We hope you will engage, excite and energise the room.

Your proposal

You don’t need to submit a complete paper/proposal at this stage. But you do need to plan one carefully and convincingly.
Please share a considered outline. The questions below are intended to help you decide what to focus on.
Remember we want to stimulate new thinking not merely repeat previous thinking/published works.

Thinking about the theme of the ISPSO AM 2027

You might find these questions useful to stimulate ideas.

You are not expected to answer all of these questions in your paper, presentation or panel discussion. But you are expected to demonstrate how your paper is genuinely grounded in psychoanalytic or systems-psychodynamic theory, not just reference it.

• What is omnipotence? What fantasies do we have around this?
• What is incompleteness? What fears or anxieties may we hold?
• What is drive & what is ‘reason’?
• How do you encounter these issues when you work with organisations?
• How do these psychoanalytic concepts connect with leadership and the world of work – or the world in general right now? 
• How can these emotions be contained…or indeed, should they be contained?
• What is your question?
• What new idea/thinking are you bringing? 
• How might your thinking connect with or be influenced by a sense of place e.g. Vienna or somewhere else?
• What do you hope to complete with this presentation? What leaves you feeling omnipotent or the opposite!
• What have you struggled with in preparing this talk?
• What outcome do you want from sharing your thinking on this topic?
• What does your thinking contribute to the field of psychoanalysis and/or leadership of organisations?
• What did you notice happening inside you as you started preparing your proposal?
• What might you be projecting…?

Format of your presentation

The format of your presentation is flexible. It could be a traditional paper or lecture, a case presentation, working with images or objects, being interviewed by someone or a panel discussion. Powerpoint slides are not obligatory! We hope participants will learn from what you bring. And that you’ll also learn from their responses. An integration!

Sole speakers or a group of speakers are welcome.

A group discussion should always be part of your presentation. We propose to use at least 50% of the time for conversation with the participants.

Remember, that less is more. You do not need to speak for a long time in order to create an interesting presentation or discussion.

Would you like someone to interview you about an aspect of the conference theme – omnipotence, drives, incompleteness, integration – to create a conversation rather than a top-down lecture?

Sometimes people have something valuable to bring or that they are struggling with. Creating a paper or a discussion at meetings can be the start of a contribution to an academic journal or even become a book.

What we ask for

• Abstracts: Submit an abstract of up to 500 words outlining your proposed paper or presentation.  Please note this word count does not include references. Please do not submit a complete paper at the application stage. The abstract should be anonymised before submission. 
• References: Submissions should follow Harvard style for citations and references.
• When submitting an abstract please fill in this form.  We also ask you for a short bio, professional CV and a photograph.
• Moderator: Presenters are provided with a moderator and technical support in the preparation and during their presentation.
• Attendees of the Conference will be able to apply for continuing education (CE) credits.

Psychoanalytic jargon

Let’s express what we mean in simple, everyday language. Let’s not hide behind technical jargon when we know we or others may not fully understand it…   If a small word will do, don’t use a big one!

Selection criteria

• Originality of thought
• Clarity of thought
• Relationship to the theme
• Connection to organisations
• Connection to the location of Vienna – desirable, fascinating but not compulsory
• Systems-psychodynamic / psychoanalytic / socioanalytic content
• Scholarly orientation
• Reference to organisations and organisational dynamics
• Applied learning – how can your thinking help a leader or an organisation become better?

Deadlines

The deadline for submission of your idea is 15 September 2026
We will decide by 15 October 2026

You will then have time to expand and shape your paper or presentation. An ISPSO moderator can support you, if you wish. You can propose somebody yourself, or we can select a moderator for you.

Your moderator will speak to you some time before the conference as you prepare. At the conference, they will introduce your paper, support you as people ask questions and they will conclude your session to time.

A reminder of the theme of the ISPSO AM, Vienna 2027

When Sigmund Freud wrote in 1917 that the ego is not master in its own house, he formulated a disturbing insight about human beings: that there are hidden forces at work within us that shape our lives, our relationships, and our institutions.

More than one hundred years later, this insight has lost none of its relevance: We live in a time of technological acceleration, geopolitical upheaval and social polarization. With the rise of artificial intelligence, we are at the same time witnessing the return of the old human fantasy of omnipotence, the dream of eliminating uncertainty and overcoming dependency. The desire of leaving incompleteness behind.

What does this mean for us personally and in our profession as people working psychodynamically? Organizations and leadership stand at the centre of this tension. These are places where fantasies of omnipotence become especially strong: the wish to master complexity, resolve conflicts, control uncertainty and make the future predictable.

Leaders are expected to know, to decide and to contain. And yet experience shows repeatedly that these fantasies fail. Human coexistence is shaped by ambivalence, conflict, loss and limitation. To work and to lead responsibly does not primarily mean creating completeness. Rather, it means tolerating incompleteness. It means carrying contradictions, acknowledging dependency, being able to accept help and negotiating difference in a productive way.

ENQUIRIES

Email: am2027@ispso.net