Federation of Psychoanalytic Societies of Latin America

The Federation of Psychoanalytic Societies of Latin America (FePAL; Spanish: Federación Psicoanalítica de América Latina) is a regional federation of psychoanalytic societies and organizations throughout Latin America. Founded in 1980, FePAL serves as the umbrella organization for the coordination, scientific development, and institutional representation of psychoanalysis across the region. It maintains formal affiliation with the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) and has played a central role in establishing Latin America as a major administrative and intellectual center within global psychoanalysis.

Federation of Psychoanalytic Societies of Latin America
Organization details
Type	Regional Federation
Founded	1980
Founder(s)	Assembly of delegates (Rio de Janeiro)
Key figures	Joel Zac, Fernando Cesarman, Néstor Goldstein, Victor Aiza, Fábio Antonio Herrmann
Orientation	Pluralistic (Freudian, Lacanian, and other orientations)
Institutional context
Predecessor	Coordinating Committee of Psychoanalytic Organizations of Latin America (COPAL)
Affiliation	International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA)
Operations
Headquarters	Regional (multiple member societies across Latin America)
Geographic scope	Regional (Latin America)
Training function	Varies by member society
Publications	Revista Latino-Americana de Psicanálise

History

Precursors: COPAL (1960–1980)

The institutional foundations of organized psychoanalysis in Latin America emerged during the Third Latin American Psychoanalytic Congress, held in Santiago, Chile, in 1960. At this congress, under the presidency of Ignacio Matte-Blanco, delegates established the Coordinating Committee of Psychoanalytic Organizations of Latin America (COPAL), presided over by Arnaldo Rascovsky. COPAL functioned as the first coordinating body for psychoanalytic societies across the region for two decades.

During the COPAL period, Latin American psychoanalysts gained increasing visibility within the IPA. The successive presidents of COPAL—including Marie Langer, Santiago Ramírez, Carlos Plata Mújica, David Zimmermann, Willy Baranger, Darcy M. Uchoa, and Fernando Cesarman—worked to strengthen the region's institutional presence and secure representation on the IPA's governing board.

Institutional Crisis and Founding of FePAL (1980)

By the late 1970s, COPAL faced institutional difficulties that prompted a reorganization of Latin American psychoanalytic structures. An assembly of delegates was convened in Rio de Janeiro on June 6, 1980, to address these challenges. The delegates approved new statutes establishing the Federación Psicoanalítica de América Latina (FePAL), which replaced COPAL as the primary coordinating body.

The new organization was explicitly charged with the scientific development of Latin American psychoanalysis and the organization of congresses and scholarly exchanges between member societies and regions. Primacy was given to democratic participation, and an order of succession to leadership was established and has been maintained since its inception.

Expansion and Regional Recognition (1980–Present)

Since its founding, FePAL has organized ten congresses, establishing itself as the central institutional framework for psychoanalytic practice and training across Latin America. The organization's congresses have addressed major themes in contemporary psychoanalysis, including the relationship between psychoanalysis and culture, and psychoanalysis during periods of social and political crisis.

Notable congresses include:

• XXII Congress (1998) in Cartagena de las Indias, Colombia, titled Cumbre Psicoanalítica Latino-Americana (Latin American Psychoanalytic Summit), under the presidency of Guillermo Carvajal.
• XXIII Congress (2000) in Gramado, Brazil, titled Psicanálise e Cultura: Entre o Divã e a Comunidade (Psychoanalysis and Culture: Between the Couch and the Community), under the presidency of Cláudio Laks Eizirik.
• XXV Congress (2004) in Guadalajara, Mexico, titled Psicoanálisis en Latinoamérica Hoy: Teoría y Práctica en Tiempos de Crisis (Psychoanalysis in Latin America Today: Theory and Practice in a Period of Crisis), under the presidency of Serápio Marcano.

FePAL's active participation in the IPA has resulted in significant institutional gains for the region. Latin America obtained three vice presidencies on the IPA's governing board, a recognition of the region's intellectual and organizational contributions to global psychoanalysis. The first IPA Congress held in Latin America took place in Buenos Aires in 1989, followed by a second congress in Santiago in 1999, symbolizing the region's growing inclusion and leadership within the international psychoanalytic movement.

Organizational Structure

FePAL operates as a federal organization composed of multiple member societies and established groups across Latin America, as well as groups-in-formation seeking formal affiliation. The organization is structured to balance centralized coordination with the autonomy of individual member societies.

Governance

FePAL is governed by an assembly of delegates representing member societies. Leadership is organized through a system of successive presidencies, with an established order of succession designed to ensure democratic rotation and prevent the concentration of power.

Successive presidents of FePAL have included: Joel Zac, Fernando Cesarman, Néstor Goldstein, Victor Aiza, Fábio Antonio Herrmann, Eustachio Portella Nunes, Alberto Pereda, Saul Peña, Alejandro Tamez Morales, Guillermo Carvajal, and Cláudio Laks Eizirik (1998–2000).

Membership

Member organizations of FePAL include psychoanalytic societies, institutes, and training organizations throughout Latin America. Member societies maintain their institutional autonomy while participating in the federation's coordinated scientific and administrative activities.

Objectives and Functions

FePAL's stated objectives are:

• To stimulate the expansion of member societies and the development of the psychoanalytic movement throughout Latin America within the framework of the IPA's established rules and stated goals, without prejudice to the autonomy of member organizations.
• To represent the common interests of member societies and their associates before the IPA.
• To create a forum for scientific exchange through publications, congresses, and meetings.
• To facilitate scholarly exchanges among member organizations, the establishment of teaching programs, and the development of training criteria in various institutes.
• To encourage the spread of psychoanalysis throughout Latin America.
• To develop and offer advice and assistance to the psychoanalytic movement in areas where there is no member organization.

Training and Formation

Training standards and pedagogical approaches vary among FePAL's member societies, reflecting the pluralistic theoretical orientations present within Latin American psychoanalysis. However, FePAL facilitates the coordination of training criteria and the establishment of teaching programs across member organizations.

The organization promotes scholarly exchanges and the development of standardized training frameworks while respecting the specific institutional practices and theoretical orientations of individual member societies.

Publications

FePAL publishes the Revista Latino-Americana de Psicanálise (Latin American Journal of Psychoanalysis), the official journal of the federation. The journal serves as a venue for scientific exchange and the dissemination of psychoanalytic research and clinical work conducted by members of the federation.

FePAL also maintains an ongoing scientific program of exchanges among its component societies and publishes proceedings from its congresses and administrative meetings.

International Collaboration

In recent years, FePAL has organized clinical meetings and scholarly exchanges with North American and European psychoanalytic colleagues and organizations. Recent congresses organized by FePAL, as well as those organized by the European Federation and North American institutions, have included invited members from other regions, indicating a growing interchange and collaborative spirit within global psychoanalysis.

Significance in Global Psychoanalysis

FePAL's establishment and growth represent a significant development in the institutional history of psychoanalysis. The organization transformed Latin America from a peripheral region into a major administrative and intellectual center within the IPA. The region's acquisition of three vice presidencies on the IPA's governing board reflects the intellectual contributions and organizational strength of Latin American psychoanalysis.

The first Latin American to be elected president of the IPA was Argentine psychoanalyst Horacio Etchegoyen, a recognition of the region's prominence within global psychoanalytic institutions.

See Also

• International Psychoanalytical Association
• History of Psychoanalysis in Latin America
• Psychoanalysis in Argentina
• Psychoanalysis in Brazil
• Erich Fromm (founder of the Sociedad Psicoanalítica Mexicana)
• Arnaldo Rascovsky

External Links

• International Psychoanalytical Association Official Website