International Psychoanalytical Association

The International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) is an association including 11,500 psychoanalysts as members and works with 70 constituent organizations. It was founded in 1910 by Sigmund Freud, on an idea proposed by Sandor Ferenczi.

The IPA is the world’s primary accrediting and regulatory body for psychoanalysis. Its mission is to assure the continued vigour and development of psychoanalysis for the benefit of psychoanalytic patients.

The IPA's aims include creating new psychoanalytic groups, stimulating debate, conducting research, developing training policies and establishing links with other bodies. It organizes a large biennial Congress which is open to all.

History of IPA
In 1902 Sigmund Freud started to meet every week with colleagues to discuss his work and so Psychological Wednesday Society was born. By 1908 there were 14 regular members and some guests including Max Eitingon, Carl Gustav Jung, Karl Abraham, and Ernest Jones, all future Presidents of the IPA. Society became the Vienna Psychoanalytical Society. In 1907 Jones suggested to Jung that an international meeting should be arranged and Freud welcomed the proposal. Meeting took place in Salzburg, on 27 April 1908 and Jung named it the "First Congress for Freudian Psychology" and it is later reckoned to be the first International Psychoanalytical Congress, even so the IPA had not yet been founded.

IPA was established at the next Congress held at Nuremberg in March 1910. Sigmund Freud considered an international organization to be essential to advance his ideas.

Constituent Organizations of the IPA
Constituent Organisations Europe including Australia, India and Israel


 * Australian Psychoanalytical Society
 * Belgian Psychoanalytic Society
 * Belgrade Psychoanalytical (Provisional) Society
 * British (Interim Provisional) Psychoanalytic Association
 * British Psychoanalytical Society
 * Czech Psychoanalytical Society
 * Danish Psychoanalytical Society
 * Dutch Psychoanalytical Association (Genootschap)
 * Dutch Psychoanalytical Group (NPAG) (Provisional)
 * Dutch Psychoanalytical Society
 * Finnish Psychoanalytical Society
 * French Psychoanalytical Association
 * German Psychoanalytical Association
 * German Psychoanalytical (Board Provisional) Society (DPG)
 * Hellenic Psychoanalytical Society
 * Hungarian Psychoanalytical Society
 * Indian Psychoanalytical Society
 * Israel Psychoanalytic Society
 * Italian Psychoanalytical Association (AIPsi)
 * Italian Psychoanalytical Society
 * Madrid Psychoanalytical Association
 * Norwegian Psychoanalytical Society
 * Paris Psychoanalytical Society
 * Polish Psychoanalytical (Provisional) Society
 * Portuguese Psychoanalytical Society
 * Spanish Psychoanalytical Society
 * Swedish Psychoanalytical Association
 * Swedish Psychoanalytical Society
 * Swiss Psychoanalytical Society
 * Viennese Psychoanalytical Society

Latin America


 * Argentine Psychoanalytic Association
 * Argentine Psychoanalytic Society
 * Brasília Psychoanalytic Society
 * Brazilian Psychoanalytical Society of Porto Alegre
 * Brazilian Psychoanalytical Society of Ribeirão Preto
 * Brazilian Psychoanalytic Society of Rio de Janeiro
 * Brazilian Psychoanalytic Society of São Paulo
 * Buenos Aires Psychoanalytic Association
 * Caracas Psychoanalytic Society
 * Chilean Psychoanalytic Association
 * Colombian Psychoanalytic Association
 * Colombian Psychoanalytic Society
 * Córdoba Psychoanalytic Society
 * Freudian Psychoanalytical (Provisional) Society of Colombia
 * Mato Grosso do Sul Psychoanalytical (Provisional) Society
 * Mendoza Psychoanalytic Society
 * Mexican Association for Psychoanalytic Practice, Training and Research (MAPPTR) (Interim Provisional Society)
 * Mexican Psychoanalytic Association
 * Monterrey Psychoanalytic Association
 * Pelotas Psychoanalytic Society
 * Peru Psychoanalytic Society
 * Porto Alegre Psychoanalytic Society
 * Psychoanalytical Association of The State of Rio De Janeiro - Rio IV
 * Psychoanalytic Society of Mexico – Park Mexico (Board Provisional)
 * Recife Psychoanalytic Society
 * Rio de Janeiro Psychoanalytic Society
 * Rio III Psychoanalytic Association
 * Rosario Psychoanalytic Association
 * Uruguayan Psychoanalytical Association (APU)
 * Venezuelan Psychoanalytic Association

North America including Japan


 * American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA)
 * Canadian Psychoanalytic Society
 * Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies (IPS) (Provisional)
 * Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR)
 * Japan Psychoanalytic Society
 * Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies (LAISPS)
 * New York Freudian Society (NYFS)
 * Northwestern Psychoanalytic Society (NPS) (Provisional)
 * Psychoanalytic Center of California (PCC)
 * Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California (PINC) (Provisional)

IPA Study Groups

 * Croatian Psychoanalytical Study Group
 * Guadalajara Psychoanalytic Study Group
 * Moscow Psychoanalytic Society (Study Group)
 * Moscow Society of Psychoanalysts (Study Group)
 * Northern Ireland Association for the Study of Psycho-Analysis (NIASP) - Study Group
 * Psychoanalytic Society for Research and Training (SPRF) (Study Group)
 * Romanian Society of Psychoanalysis - Study Group
 * Turkish Psychoanalytical Study Group
 * Vienna Arbeitskreis for Psychoanalysis Study Group (WAP)