9-Point Report
1. Introduction
The WAP Council receives the lists of the members proposed for its approval by the governing bodies of each of the Schools.
On this occasion, the WAP Council was able to judge the seriousness and precision with which the lists were drawn up and the CVs presented.
In doing so, the Council could not help but notice the absence of young people everywhere in the selection of future members. It was to remedy this phenomenon that the New Youth Policy [la nouvelle politique jeunesse] – so-named by J.-A. Miller – was drawn up at the last meeting of the Council and is hereby communicated to the governing bodies of the seven Schools.
2. Figures
A WAP Youth Delegation was created last year. Its incumbent, Jérôme Lecaux (ECF), submitted his first report in January this year. Here is the table of figures put before us for our consideration:
3. Commentary
Looking at the figures, three trends emerge:
- The under-representation of young people under Only 6% of WAP members are under 40, while almost half (47%) are over 60, and three quarters (75%) are over 50.
- The representation of young people under 30 is almost non-
- A recent trend has been the rejuvenation of incoming members: almost half are in their 40s. This effect is due to the efforts of Schools to admit younger members. It is still insufficient.
Indeed, the figures speak for themselves. Our schools are ageing. We need to stop the trend of non-renewal now. To do this, determined action is required – namely, putting the “New Youth Policy” into action.
4. Admission
What is the root of the problem? The root of the problem lies in our admission procedure.
How is admission made? It is the subject of an interview with a someone in an official function and an individual examination, with demanding criteria. These apply regardless of age. As a result, a young person’s application is assessed within a framework more geared towards experienced practitioners with long working lives. There is no gamble on youth. The longer our list of criteria grows, the older we get.
5. A bonus for youth!
With regard to admissions, the New Youth Policy is proactive and voluntaristic. It will facilitate the entry of the most serious and best young people.
Until now, the percentage of incoming members per School has been limited to 4% of the total membership of all ages. In order to increase the presence of youth
in our Schools, the Council has decided that the names of young people under 35 years of age may be submitted for approval in addition to the 4%.
Two requirements at the core of the admission of future young members by the Schools remain firmly in place: being in analysis and being in supervision. The other requirements are to be considered in the light of the Youth Criterion: fewer requirements concerning the number of papers delivered at Study Days, clinical cases presented, articles published, years of formation in the Clinical Sections and Institutes, the length of experience practicing, responsibilities taken in the School, etc.
The Council will evaluate the results of the new policy next year.
6. "Conditional members"
In order to promote what we call “the bet on youth”, the Council also decided to introduce a new institutional provision: admission under a condition precedent for two years.
The admission interview may be the subject of a pact with the young applicant. In this case, the student will commit themselves to pursue their training assiduously and to accomplish work for the School (in the spirit of The Founding Act). This will be in the form of substantive contributions to the School (seminars, conferences, publications, etc.) – in short, a kind of ‘Curriculum Vitae of the future’, as J.-A. Miller called it.
The School will commit itself to providing a framework for the work produced by these young new members, and to supporting them by giving a place to their contributions at congresses, in publications, cartels, etc., or even by ensuring that their progress is followed by an attentive AMS colleague, acting as mentor and promoter.
At the end of these two years, the final admission of these “conditional members” may be pronounced by the School and approved by the WAP, depending on the
work done. This evaluation will be discussed between the young candidate and the Youth Commission, created for the occasion.
If final admission is not possible after two years, a second two-year period may be opened.
It is only after final admission that new members will have to pay their annual fees to the School and to the WAP.
Conditional membership is therefore twofold. On the one hand, it aims to attract and promote young people, and on the other, to be a vector of change for the School.
7. AMS
The emphasis on the promotion of young people should not lead to the neglect of experienced analysts. The Guarantee Commissions will therefore pay special attention to the regular awarding of the title of AMS to experienced colleagues. The Council will be attentive to this.
8. Opening
The New Policy concerns first of all those who are already in the Freudian Field. But let us not forget the others, who are still outside.
- For the young people in our field, let us draw on the pool of resources provided by the Schools’ satellites (ACF, Sections, Sedes, Participanti…). We need to encourage our young colleagues to make the journey to the School by offering them the possibility of work that does not confine them to organisational tasks, by proposing that they work with more experienced colleagues, by stimulating individual initiatives, and by consulting them on the themes that interest them.
- Beyond our field, how can we reach today’s youth? The question arises all the more because, in general, we no longer have as many traditional academic and media channels for the dissemination of the signifiers of psychoanalysis. Our own media will not ignore this context. And since youth attracts youth, we are counting on social networks and the virtues of the digital realm to reach the new generations.
Indeed, as we hear from the various Schools, it appears that Lacan’s texts still speak to today’s youth. Moreover, it has been observed that a political commitment on the part of psychoanalysts has led to a significant increase in requests for admission. The most important themes for young people concern both social issues and psychoanalysis in intension.
9. Conclusion
The Schools must recognise that the situation regarding youth in the WAP calls for a profound change. This will have to be prepared with tact and aim for the long term. For the time being, let us wager that these new provisions will contribute to ensuring that psychoanalysis remains a cause of desire for the new generations.
Paris, … March 2023 For the WAP Council,
Christiane Alberti, President.
Translated by Philip Dravers