An international movement can only come into being if everyone goes along with it.
C.G. Jung Letters, Vol. 1: 1906-1950
To J. H. van der Hoop
Dear Colleague, 19 January 1935
With regard to the negotiations for the next Congress I have asked the Swiss representative of the secretariat, Dr. Meier, to send you the programme as it looks at present.
The preparations are bedevilled by all sorts of difficulties.
Not only have very different wishes to be considered, but one must also reckon with the withdrawal of delegates and much else besides.
Naturally I would be very pleased if someone from Switzerland could be found for lectures. . . . The few younger people who are on my side are not yet representative enough to be considered.
I myself have my good reasons for keeping in the background because of the preconceived opinion that I am a mere antipode of Freud and Adler.
Consequently one is exposed to all sorts of misunderstandings which are no encouragement to general collaboration.
I have done my utmost to prevent nationalistic outbursts at the International Congress and to create a basis of a purely scientific nature, but if you have seen Gauger’s book you will understand that my efforts are meeting with very great difficulties.
The snag is that an international movement can only come into being if everyone goes along with it.
But if everyone holds back and waits to see whether it will come into being or not, naturally nothing happens.
Recognizing this fact, I have not hesitated to place myself at the disposal of such a movement in the hope that other sensible people will do the same.
For it is solely up to us to put an international movement on its feet.
If we attempt such an undertaking at all under the existing circumstances, we cannot do it without Germany.
The “neutrals” are too weak and moreover the repercussions of the present political situation and of the psychic epidemic that has broken out in Germany would reach us in some form in the end.
It therefore seems to me better to take the bull by the horns and to confer directly with the Germans.
Here in Switzerland I have succeeded after much effort in bringing together a number of doctors and psychologists so that a meeting can
take place on Jan. 22nd to celebrate the founding of the Swiss national group.
Not one of the older psychotherapists is attending since practically all of them prefer to live in sectarian seclusion.
In my humble opinion a “sufficiently international beginning” has been made, so that, if every national group is really willing to join in, an International Society is altogether possible.
That this Society is not at present all-embracing is certainly not the fault of our intentions but of political conditions beyond our control, and also of the undoubted sectarian tendency of psychotherapists to go it alone.
Again it is up to us to do our utmost to combat these pathological symptoms.
So far as my lectures in Amersfoort are concerned, I am quite willing to give a lecture at the Dutch Society of Psychotherapy on “Principles of Practical Psychotherapy.”
As to the other lectures in Amersfoort, I have arranged with Dr. van der Water that there should be a kind of seminar where fundamental concepts will be debated.
From what he says I have the impression that it will not be an exclusively medical public, and I therefore had a general exposition of the complex theory and of practical dream analysis in mind, since I was of the opinion that specifically medical questions about indicia etc. should be reserved for the discussion.
I should be grateful if you would let me know whether this plan meets with your approval.
You must remember that the nature of these Amersfoort proceedings is completely new and unknown to me.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
C.G. Jung ~Carl Jung, Letters Vol. I, Pages 184-185
