Why is psychoanalysis so popular in Argentina?
I can not argue with omiewise as I do not have the data in front of me but I will differ with him on the utility of psychoanalysis vs CBT in relation to its relative effectiveness in providing patients significant relief from symptoms in a timely and reliable manner–I don’t have immediate access to “The Great Debate” but I would appreciate any links or additional info. My email is in my profile. As a matter of practice there is no serious consideration of psychoanalysis by the vast majority of those practicing in the field. I realize that does not mean omiewise is wrong. I will take a look at the data.
This paper might help: Freud and the Spanish Language. Short answer seems to be Freud’s friendship with Spaniards and his familiarity with the language, which gave him exposure in Spain, which people brought to Argentina when they fled Spain in the 30s, and then for some reason a lot of psychotherapists ended up in Buenoes Aires and started a therapy culture there. A number of articles seem to indicate this is only the case in Buenos Aires, though, and doesn’t apply throughout the country.
Googling psychoanalysis in Argentina actually turns up a lot of people addressing this issue, and indicating that Argentina does have an unusually open climate for therapy.
