With fellowship program, University takes psychoanalytic approach to academics

A fellowship program at the Philadelphia Association of Psychoanalysis has helped incorporate psychoanalytic theory into the University's academics. Individuals from many fields, including lawyers, secondary school administrators and writers -- as well as University professors -- have participated in the program since its creation in 1995. "A psychoanalytic perspective is a really unique and humane way of approaching problems that affect people," said Bruce Levin, director of the fellowship program. Psychoanalysts, he explained, are trained to understand neurotic behavior. During their year-long fellowships, participants meet monthly with two mentors and attend regular classes at the association's headquarters in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. Through the program, fellows learn how to apply psychoanalysis to their own fields. "I've been surprised at the level of interest, particularly in the academic field," said Levin, adding that several University professors have participated in the program. Center for Bioethics Director Arthur Caplan is currently an honorary fellow, one of the program's three types of fellows. The other two are clinical -- for individuals in the medical field -- and academic. Part of his job as the center's director, Caplan said, is to examine issues such as suicide, euthanasia and artificial reproductive techniques. "Psychoanalysis has something to say about all these sorts of questions," he noted. Lori Lefkowitz, a former visiting English professor at the University, was a fellow in 1995. She used her time to learn how psychoanalysis relates to her areas of expertise -- women's studies and literary criticism. "Much of my critical work is psychoanalytic," she said. "It's been terrifically informative." Lefkowitz is using the psychoanalytic knowledge she gained from the fellowship to write a book on relationships between women. Noting the "reciprocal" nature of the fellowship, Lefkowitz said the association members seem to gain almost as much as the fellows. Levin agreed, adding, "We have the opportunity to hear about their creative endeavors." In addition to scholars like Caplan and Lefkowitz, professionals like Mimi Rose, an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, have taken part in the fellowship program. After finishing her first year in the program earlier this year, she applied for and received a second year in the program. Rose, who is in charge of the family violence and sexual assault unit of the DA's office, discusses cases with her mentors when she needs a better understanding of defendants' motivations. She said she has applied her psychoanalytic skills to a case in which a mother is suspected of making her child sick. The mother allegedly tries to get attention from doctors when she brings him to the hospital. Rose and Caplan agree that psychoanalysis can play an important role in both their fields, despite their obvious differences. "To take mental health concerns and apply them to other disciplines is so incredibly important that it really should be encouraged," Rose said. Caplan added, "There is a tendency these days to reduce everything to either genes or chemistry. I believe that people still act for reasons."

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