Phyllis Meadow

DUMMERSTON -- Phyllis W. Meadow, 80, of Dummerston, an important leader in advancing the practice, teaching, and profession of psychoanalysis in the United States, died on Jan. 19, 2005, in New York City, following a brief illness.

Born in Boston on April 12, 1924, she was the daughter of Marjorie (Loring) and George Whitcomb.

Ms. Meadow was founder of three psychoanalytic institutes, the Cyril Z. Meadow Institute (CZMI) in Dummerston, the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies in Manhattan and the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis, of which CZMI is a branch. She was internationally known for her pioneering efforts to distinguish psychoanalysis as an independent discipline in this country and to establish it as an academic specialty. She worked tirelessly to achieve masters and doctoral degrees for the field of psychoanalysis at the Boston campus and at CZMI. Now the Master of Arts degree is also available in New York, through the Boston Graduate School.

She developed rigorous professional standards for the field, while playing a vital role in developing legislation in Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and other states.

She was founder and former president of the Society of Modern Psychoanalysts, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis and a founder and past president of the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis.

Her many publications champion a process of psychoanalysis that integrates the emotional with the intellectual, departing from conventional psychoanalysis and energizing the field.

Ms. Meadow was founder and editor of the journal Modern Psychoanalysis, since its establishment in 1976. Her published works include “Emotional Education: The Theory and Process of Educating Psychoanalysts” and “Selected Theoretical and Clinical Papers.” She co-authored “Treatment of the Narcissistic Neuroses.”

Her most recent book, “The New Psychoanalysis,” appeared in 2003, and was introduced at a reading in Dummerston.

Dany Nobus, the noted Lacan scholar wrote, “For once, the title of a book is fully living up to its promises. In this volume, she articulates the basic principles of an innovative psychoanalytic treatment model that is able to face the clinical challenges of the 21st century. In light of its aspirations, breadth of coverage and clinical scope, this book constitutes the first major event for psychoanalysis in this new millennium.”

A book on ethics in psychoanalysis is currently in press.

Ms. Meadow was also influential in bringing contemporary psychoanalysis from the privacy of the consultation room to a profession concerned with the interplay between character and social issues. She wrote extensively on the role of destructiveness in character development and founded the unique interdisciplinary Institute for the Study of Violence at the Boston campus.

In a recent interview, she explained, “Modern psychoanalysis holds that a healthy society allows for constructive means of discharge for aggressive and sexual impulses. For example, in today's hectic life, sexual fantasy offers a hope for pleasure. But there are aggressive impulses too, and it's to those impulses that the violence so prevalent in today's media speaks. Aggression has been a problem throughout history, and the signs of that changing soon appear to be few.

”It is difficult for people to believe that they don't control their own behavior. The ego treatments of classical psychoanalysis are easier because they emphasize what in ourselves prevents us from adapting to the society in which we live. The goal of adaptation, however, does not examine to the same degree the role of destructive drives in our makeup and the interplay between narcissism and what is expected of us. A level of pleasure and satisfaction with life can be achieved by ‘measuring up,' but modern psychoanalysis holds that working through our aggression will lead to a more authentic and steadfast satisfaction.”

Ms. Meadow is survived by daughter, Dena Reed, president of the Boston Graduate School, and son-in-law, James Reed, of Sudbury, Mass.; grandchildren Rebecca Reed of Belmont, Mass., and Amanda and Zachary Reed of Sudbury; and two sisters Susan Winbourne and Jessie Roland and their families.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Cyril Z. Meadow Institute in Dummerston, the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis in Brookline, Mass., or the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies in New York City.u