The Frenemies of Freud Society (FFS) was established in 1913 by Carl Jung in response to the formation of what some have called "The Committee." The Committee believed in the Freud, the whole Freud, and nothing but the Freud. When they wanted to diverge from the Freud, they had to meet and consider how, when, where, and why that divergence should take place. It was a bit like an intellectual gulag to some of the more freethinking analytical psychologists. This group's goal was to improve the self-esteem of all who came into contact with Freud and came out feeling like they just weren't good enough.

Alfred Alder

Al was the first major figure to break away from Sigmund and establish individual psychology. He was into positive reinforcement and empowerment. He was in charge of each member's daily affirmation that he wrote on small squares of paper and placed on their phone receivers. His approach came from his concept of the inferiority complex that focuses on a person's view of themselves within power structures. You know, think Napoleon Bonaparte. Anyway, Al was the Stuart Smalley of the group.

Wilhelm Stekel

Wilhelm also thought creativity was a key to personal wholeness. He organized all of our come-as-you-are parties. These parties were judgment-free zones where everyone could behave and act just as they wished, without scorn from others. Stekel believed extreme fetishism and perversion came from repeating behaviors a person had been told were shameful. He thought that the harmful cycle of having sex, then feeling guilty about it, was damaging to a person's wellbeing. Had they all lived long enough, Stekel would have planned our group's yearly trips to Burning Man.

Sandor Ferenczi

Sandor was the group's outreach coordinator, encouraging all the clients of the FFS to come to each gathering and interact with their therapist. He organized the yearly opposite day barbeque where clients become therapists and therapists became clients. Ferenczi thought this type of intimacy was essential for a good client-therapist relationship. But he did limit these parties to 1 hour, as prolonged role reversals became a bit confusing.