Jacob Arlow MD Papers, 1944-2004

Summary

Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of Jacob Arlow, an American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and professor. The collection has 5 series: Correspondence; General Files; Miscellaneous/Personal files; Unpublished Writings, Commentaries, Discussions, Panels and Notes; Reprints, Publications, Articles and Drafts, Book Reviews, other writings.
Extent:
35 boxes 14.18 linear feet
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains correspondence, documents, publications, lectures and professional writings, photographs, notes and other personal and professional materials dating from 1944 to 2004, with the bulk of the material dating to the 1970s and 80s. The majority of the materials are in English, but there are several documents (bulletins, letters and reprints) written in German, Dutch, French and Hebrew. The papers are divided into five series: Correspondence (1952-2004), General Files (1958-2002), Miscellaneous/Personal Files (1963-2000), Unpublished Writings, Commentaries, Discussions, Panels and Notes (1956-2003), and Reprints, Publications, Articles and Drafts, Book Reviews, other writings (1944-1998). The papers came to the library unorganized and lacking original order, thus the majority of this collection does not retain its original arrangement. Any materials found grouped together in their original order have been filed together. Materials have been arranged into five series.

Correspondence, 1952-2004: This series includes correspondence related to appointments, writings, talks, requests for articles, and publication of articles. There is correspondence with his colleagues and other entities, mostly professional, but some personal, along with correspondence regarding specific publications, journals or organizations, particular works, and individual conferences or meetings.

General Files, 1958-2002: This series includes correspondence, conference materials and papers, meeting programs, and project notes.

Miscellaneous/Personal files, 1963-2000, bulk 1970-1990: This series includes interviews, study group notes, resumes, obituaries, Arlow’s Mary S. Sigourney Award files, Who’s Who publication forms and correspondence, photographs, and newspaper clippings, among other materials.

Unpublished Writings, Commentaries, Discussions, Panels and Notes, 1956-2003: This series includes unpublished writings and drafts, notes and correspondence regarding workshops and panels, commentaries, lectures, and presentation discussions.

Reprints, Publications, Articles and Drafts, Book Reviews, other writings, 1944-1998: This series is arranged alphabetically by title. It contains reprints and printouts of Arlow’s published writings, early drafts of published works, lectures and seminars that appeared in print, and book reviews. Publications include single chapters in edited collections as well as drafts or printouts of single chapters in Arlow’s longer works. Some folders include notes that correspond to published works.

Biographical / historical:

Jacob Arlow (1912-2004), renowned American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and professor, was born September 3, 1912 in Brooklyn, New York. Contributing to the fields of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic history, he is perhaps best known for his theories on the role of unconscious fantasy in the ways people perceive the world around them.

Having authored more than 200 papers in his lifetime, Jacob Arlow was a prolific writer who extended the concept of ego functions beyond defense as originally formulated. His landmark work, Psychoanalytic Concepts and The Structural Theory (1964), was co-authored by Dr. Charles Brenner and expanded upon the Freudian idea that the goal of psychoanalysis is to make the unconscious conscious. Arlow’s contributions to the field helped transform North American psychoanalytic theory and technique.

Having first encountered the works of Freud in his adolescence, Arlow attended New York University in pursuit of a career in psychiatry. After completing his education at NYU, Arlow trained in psychoanalysis at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute and was appointed a training and supervising analyst in 1947. He was elected president of the American Psychoanalytic Association in 1960 and served as Chairman of its Board of Professional Standards from 1967-1969. In 1971, Arlow was appointed Editor of The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, a position from which he had a tremendous influence on psychoanalytic education. He went on to teach at New York University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Columbia University in addition to several other schools around the country. Arlow continued to practice psychiatry until the age of 88. He died on May 21, 2004 at his home in Great Neck, N.Y.

Acquisition information:
The Jacob Arlow Papers were donated to the Oskar Diethelm Library, De Witt Wallace Institute for the History of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College by Seth M. Arlow in 2004. These papers were bequeathed by Jacob Arlow to the Oskar Diethelm Library prior to his passing on May 21st, 2004.
Arrangement:

The papers came to the library unorganized and lacking original order, thus the majority of this collection does not retain its original arrangement. Any materials found grouped together in their original order have been filed together. Materials have been arranged into five series.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Box 35 contains restricted materials.

Terms of access:

Written permission must be obtained from the Oskar Diethelm Library and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Location of this collection:
DeWitt Wallace Institute of Psychiatry: History, Policy and the Arts
Weill Cornell Medical College
525 East 68th Street, Box 140
New York, NY 10065, United States
Link to repository site
Contact:
212-746-3728