This paper, by a historian of sexuality, has at its heart the dramatically changing place of sexual desire in the post-Freudian psychoanalytic enterprise. Among other things, the emphasis will be on understanding the peculiarities of American psychoanalysts’ responses to the sexual revolution of the 1960s-1970s. Topics to be covered – and discussed with the group – include: the apparently enduring appeal of homophobia for psychoanalysis; the highly ideological (mis)uses of the ideal and dream of love for marginalizing nontraditional sexualities; the growing preoccupation, in the midst of the sexual revolution and the women’s and gay and lesbian liberation movements, with patients suffering from narcissistic and borderline disorders; the strategies ultimately used by antihomophobic psychoanalysts to challenge the dominant norms; the reconceptualization of the relationship of sexuality to other realms of life; and the ambivalent effects of the rise of a domesticated homosexuality in the midst of the cultural decline of homophobia.

Learning Objectives:
1. To enhance understanding of the place of sexual desire in psychoanalysis, past and present.
2. To facilitate discussion of the impact of cultural change on theory and clinical practice in psychoanalysis.
3. To consider the complex historical and present-day interactions between psychoanalysis and feminism and gay and lesbian activism.

References:
1. Herzog, Dagmar. Sexuality in Europe: A Twentieth-Century History (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2011).
2. Herzog, Dagmar. Sex after Fascism: Memory and Morality in Twentieth-Century Germany (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005).

If you plan to attend, a copy of the pre-circulated paper is available for your review prior to the session. Please email Ayelet Barkai (ayelet_barkai@hms.harvard.edu) and the paper will be forwarded to you via email.

Continuing Education
Physicians: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this Live Activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION FOR ALL LEARNERS: None of the planners and presenters of this CME program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose. Psychologists: The Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This program fulfills the requirements for 1.5 hours of CE. Social Workers Please contact the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute’s Administrative Office at 617/266-0953 or office@bostonpsychoanalytic.org for more information.