ABSTRACT
The potentially creative narcissistic strivings of the individual psychoanalyst may, in other words, be committed in too large a proportion to idealized goals. The task is to apply psychoanalytic knowledge to the investigation of group psychology with the specific aim of making a contribution to the explanation of historical events, of the course—or, expressed more courageously, the process—of history. The history of the psychoanalytic movement—its formation, the crystallization and sequestration of dissident groups, its continuity despite changes—should, in a certain sense, constitute an excellent study topic for the psychoanalyst who pursues the investigation of group processes. The elucidation of the personality of the charismatic and messianic person and of the psychological basis of the intense relationship the followers of such a person establish with him is an important task for the depth psychologist who attempts to investigate group processes and their effect on the dynamics of history.
