White Society Mission Statement
THE WILLIAM ALANSON WHITE
PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIETY
BY-LAWS and MISSION STATEMENT
MISSION STATEMENT
Revised July 1, 2021
PURPOSES OF THE SOCIETY
The White Society is an organization of graduates from Division 1 of the William Alanson White Institute. It is an autonomous entity that shares a complex relationship with the White Institute. The Society exists to benefit Society members professionally within the Society and in the community at large. Its primary purpose is to promote continued education and professional development of its members. An additional purpose is to support the White Institute, contributing to its continued evolution and development in ways that are consistent with the values of our Society.
VALUES
In the spirit of the founders of the White Institute but also in line with evolving interpersonal psychoanalysis, White Society functions are guided by the following values:
- shared authority,
- transparency – openness of communications,
- mutual respect for autonomy of self and other,
- co-participatory nature of analytic, educative, and clinical processes,
- dialogic communication serving the greater good of self and other (derived from definitions of rationality developed by Erich Fromm),
- human potentiality and needs interacting productively with society, culture, and civilization (ideas developed by Harry Stack Sullivan and further evolved by White Institute psychoanalytic scholars), and,
- commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and to opposing discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability status, language, socioeconomic status, or any other basis of discrimination proscribed by law.
GOALS
The Society shall foster the continued professional development and education of its members via the work of committees such as the Program Committee. A Nominations Committee will provide for the election of officers who, in conjunction with liaisons to Institute Board of Trustees and Council of Fellows, will comprise the Society Board of Directors. This Board will work to maintain collaboration and communication regarding the mutual goals of Society and Institute. The Board, in conjunction with its Policy and Planning Committee, shall develop Society activities such as, for example, grass-roots surveys and Town Meetings. These activities are intended to generate productive dialogue and action plans that are mutually beneficial to the members of the Society and the White Community. It is assumed that by promoting an environment of respectful and open exchange of ideas, the Society can make a valuable contribution to the operations of the Institute. The members of the Society are committed to partnering with the governing bodies of the Institute to dismantle institutional racism as it may manifest in policies, procedures, curriculum, faculty, and training analyst and supervisor appointments. It is hoped that the Society will be supportive to all our members and will be welcoming to candidates and students of all backgrounds.
