Quatrième Groupe (OPLF)

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Le Quatrième Groupe – Organisation psychanalytique de langue française (OPLF), commonly known as the Fourth Group, is a French psychoanalytic organization founded in 1969 by Piera Aulagnier, François Perrier, and Jean-Paul Valabrega. It was established following a major split from Jacques Lacan's École Freudienne de Paris (EFP) over disagreements concerning the training of psychoanalysts and the institutional procedures implemented by Lacan, particularly the controversial Pass procedure (la procédure de la passe).

Distinct in its orientation, the Fourth Group aimed to create a non-authoritarian, clinically focused, and pluralistic psychoanalytic institution. Its foundational principles reflect a deep concern for the ethical transmission of psychoanalysis, the avoidance of hierarchical power structures, and the centrality of clinical experience.

Historical Background

Precipitating Events and Break from the EFP

The origins of the Fourth Group are rooted in internal dissent within Lacan’s École Freudienne de Paris, particularly regarding analytic training and institutional governance. By 1967–1968, figures such as Jean-Paul Valabrega, Piera Aulagnier, and François Perrier began to express concerns about Lacan’s increasing centralization of authority and most critically, the introduction of the Pass[1].

Their collective resignation in December 1968 marked a decisive break with Lacanian institutionalism[2].

Foundation Process (1969)

The foundation of the group involved several months of preparatory work. A pivotal meeting took place on 22–23 February 1969 in Ermenonville[3]. The group’s statutes were drafted by Jean-Paul Moreigne and finalized at François Perrier’s home[4].

The foundational texts by Aulagnier and Valabrega were compiled into a Cahier bleu (Blue Notebook)[5]. The name Quatrième Groupe signified its place as the fourth psychoanalytic institution in France[6].

Founding Members and Early Organization

Founding members included:

  • Piera Castoriadis-Aulagnier
  • François Perrier
  • Jean-Paul Valabrega
  • Gabrielle Dorey
  • Evelyne-Anne Gasquières
  • André Missenard
  • Jean-Paul Moreigne
  • Antoinette Perrier-Gordowski
  • Nathalie Zaltzman
  • Charles Zygel[7]

On 17 March 1969, the group filed its statutes with the Paris prefecture[8]. Leadership included:

  • President: François Perrier
  • Psychoanalytic Secretary: Piera Aulagnier
  • Scientific Secretary: Evelyne-Anne Gasquières
  • Administrative Secretary: Jean-Paul Moreigne
  • Treasurer: Gabrielle Dorey

Institutional Development and Principles

Re-establishment Meetings

The first réunion de ré-établissement took place on 1 May 1970. The December 1970 general assembly ratified the revised statutes based on training texts by Perrier, Aulagnier, and Valabrega[9].

Core principles included:

  • Rejection of charismatic authority
  • Commitment to pluralism
  • Emphasis on clinical autonomy and ethical training[10]

Sophie de Mijolla-Mellor highlighted the group’s resistance to ritualized or diploma-based training[11].

Membership and Training

Two categories are recognized:

  • Membres analystes – Full analysts
  • Participants – Those undergoing formation

Training includes personal analysis followed by one or more supervised “fourth analyses,” deliberately avoiding a formal “training analyst” designation[12].

Theoretical Orientation

The group emphasizes Freudian fundamentals and clinical work. Though some founders were influenced by Lacan, the group rejected doctrinal rigidity. Its focus includes:

  • Transference and symbolization
  • Conditions of speech and representation
  • Psychosis and the pre-symbolic

Piera Aulagnier’s concept of the pictogram—a pre-symbolic representation relevant to psychosis—is among its key contributions[13].

Institutional Neutrality

The group maintains institutional independence and is not affiliated with international organizations like the IPA or WAP. It fosters interdisciplinary dialogue across fields.

Publications and Scientific Life

The group publishes annual volumes under the title Les Actes du Quatrième Groupe, including:

  • Beyond Words… The Talking Cure (2021)
  • The Destiny of an Ideal (2020)
  • The Rock of Passions (2019)
  • New Perspectives in Psychoanalysis (2018)
  • The Dream: Between Present and Origins (2017)
  • Murder and Incest (2016)
  • Paradoxes of the Feminine (2015)
  • The Work of Art (2014)
  • Around the Work of Jean-Paul Valabrega (2013)
  • The Situation of Psychoanalysis (2012)[14]

Institutional Changes

In February 2005, several members left to form the Société psychanalytique pour la recherche et la formation (SPRF)[15].

As of 1 February 2021, the group had 45 members and 12 honorary members[16].

Legacy and Significance

The Fourth Group provides an institutional model prioritizing ethical training, clinical independence, and resistance to both IPA orthodoxy and Lacanian sectarianism. Its founders are central figures in French psychoanalytic history.

Notable Figures

  • Piera Aulagnier – Theorist of the pictogram and institutional critique
  • François Perrier – Founding president, known for work on feminine sexuality
  • Jean-Paul Valabrega – Analyst and theorist of ethical training
  • Nathalie Zaltzman – Writer on violence and psychosis
  • Sophie de Mijolla-Mellor – Psychoanalytic historian
  • Eduardo Colombo – Analyst of institutional psychoanalysis

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lacan, J. (1995). Proposition of 9 October 1967 on the Psychoanalyst of the School. Analysis 6, trans. Russell Grigg.
  2. ↑ Roudinesco, É. (1994). History of Psychoanalysis in France, Fayard.
  3. ↑ Perrier, F. (1985). Extraordinary Voyages in Translacania, Lieu commun.
  4. ↑ Sédat, J., & Moreau Ricaud, M. (2009). “In Memoriam Nathalie Zaltzman,” Le Coq-héron, No. 196.
  5. ↑ Foundational texts by Aulagnier and Valabrega, Fourth Group archives.
  6. ↑ De Mijolla-Mellor, S. (2002). “Fourth Group (OPLF),” International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis, Vol. 2.
  7. ↑ Fourth Group archives, quatrieme-groupe.org.
  8. ↑ Statutes filed March 17, 1969, Paris Prefecture.
  9. ↑ Valabrega, J.-P. (1983). “Declaration on the Organizing, Functional and Formative Principles,” Topique, No. 32.
  10. ↑ Topique, No. 38 (1985).
  11. ↑ De Mijolla-Mellor, S. (2002). “Fourth Group,” International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis, p. 1370.
  12. ↑ De Mijolla, S. (2002). “Fourth Analysis,” International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis, Vol. 1, pp. 95–96.
  13. ↑ Aulagnier, P. (1975). The Violence of Interpretation, Yale University Press.
  14. ↑ Les Actes du Quatrième Groupe, Éditions In Press, 2012–2021.
  15. ↑ SPRF website, accessed May 28, 2016.
  16. ↑ “Members of the Fourth Group,” quatrieme-groupe.org, accessed February 1, 2021.
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