IPA in the Asia-Pacific region: Reflections on national stereotypes and prejudices. The view of others from one's own perspective.

For the 2023 IPA Asia-Pacific Congress in Delhi, the authors of this paper prepared a panel titled "Reflections on National Stereotypes and Prejudices: The View of Others from One's Own Perspective" with the aim to stimulate further reflection and discussion on this topic among the Asia-Pacific analytic groups. Authors invited psychoanalysts from the six psychoanalytical groups in the Asia-Pacific region to participate. Those psychoanalysts provided analytic perspectives to shed light on the historical context and psychological factors that contribute to national stereotypes and prejudices, the dynamics of splitting and projection, and the idealization of one's own country. These processes not only impact individual psyches but also shape societal attitudes and interactions. The papers highlighted the need for deeper understanding and empathy, emphasizing the importance of listening to and being curious about the other, especially within the six psychoanalytic groups represented. The collective reflection on the shared, conflict-ridden history and its unconscious underpinnings represents the beginning of a process within the envisioned Asia-Pacific region of the International Psychoanalytical Association.