Presidential address: normal in psychoanalysis

This paper is an attempt to spell out some of the usages of 'normal' in psychoanalysis in respect to the concepts lying behind such usage, and to attempt to see how various of these usages and concepts have been and can be employed in present day psychoanalysis. This started out as a seemingly simple exploration of the meaning of a term but turned into a puzzling exposition, the dimensions of which were not anticipated, and perhaps, were not fulfilled in the course of this presentation. In the final section, the author returns to the concept of normality as progressing over time and links this with the concept of average and expectable. This concept, as defined by research and experience, is the most operationally useful one when applied to the individual. From this point of view, the same seems to apply to psychoanalytic societies and groups.