ABSTRACT
This chapter takes a contemporary and historical view of the problem of pluralism in psychoanalysis. It suggests that, despite fears, there are great advantages to moving away from narrow affiliations toward a broader sense of belonging to a more inclusive discipline via vigorous, respectful dialogue between diverse psychoanalytic viewpoints. Comparative-integrative psychoanalysis provides both a goal and a methodology for transcending rigid divisions that weaken our discipline. This perspective provides a welcoming tent under which all serious psychoanalysts can find an intellectually rigorous, stimulating home that can increasingly create a more sophisticated, valid, useful discipline. The comparative-integrative approach transforms the pluralism problem into the pluralism opportunity.
