Public Lecture Series 2008-2009
Current Events and Their Discontents: Psychoanalyzing Politics, Culture and History
In the seminal book Civilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud grappled with the fundamental tensions between civilization and the individual. We at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis welcome you to attend our third annual Public Lecture Series, “Current Events and Their Discontents: Psychoanalyzing Politics, Culture and History.”
Current events that fill our newspapers and television screens are often dizzyingly complex. Understanding them demands a blend of multiple perspectives and analysis. Perspectives in our media and public discourse, however, are often limited to politics and economics. Psychoanalysis offers a valuable addition to these points of view because it is rooted in a rich tradition of exploring the dimension of individual and group psychology that lies unexamined beneath the surface of everyday discourse. This series brings creative psychoanalytic thinking to bear on some of our most urgent and complex contemporary issues, including politics, race, cultural trauma and resiliency. The series is offered free of charge; you are welcome to participate in any and all lectures.
A Soldier’s Heart: The Psychology of Courage
Nathan Szajnberg, M.D.
Thursday, 8/21/2008 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Israeli soldiers give very personal definitions and accounts of courage. Author of Reluctant Warriors: Israelis Suspended Between Rome and Jerusalem, Dr. Szajnberg interviewed Israeli soldiers in elite combat units over several years during the Second Intifada and the 2006 Lebanon War. In this presentation, based on his study of citizen-soldiers under fire, we will look at what these soldiers have to teach us about courage. We will distinguish the quality of courage—something that comes from the heart—from acts of bravery.
What Accounts for Barack Obama's Resilience?
Karim Dajani, Psy.D., M.F.T.
Thursday, 9/25/2008 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Over the course of his life Barack Obama has demonstrated remarkable emotional resilience. By examining Obama's writings, behavior and impact on others, Dr. Dajani will illuminate the developmental factors underpinning resilience. Extending this concept to the large group level, he will also explore the potential effects of a resilient leader on a nation's social, cultural and political development.
Race and Current American Politics
Maureen Katz, M.D.
Wednesday, 10/22/2008 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Drawing from psychoanalytic ideas, this presentation and discussion will explore the role the ethnic other plays in our collective and individual psychic experiences, as influenced by political and historical forces during the post-9/11 era. We will also discuss the role of race in the presidential election.
Hope, Inspiration and Politics: Reflections on the 2008 Election
Rachael Peltz, Ph.D.
Wednesday, 1/21/2009 7:30pm - 9:00pm
A panel will offer thoughts on the Obama presidential campaign, addressing the relationship between citizens and political leadership, and the rekindled hope in participatory democracy. The panel will be comprised of members of Greendogs, a multidisciplinary group of friends working to enhance democracy, social justice and environmental sustainability through political action, public education and financial support.
Working Through Cultural Trauma
Victor Wolfenstein, Ph.D.
Monday, 2/2/2009 7:30pm - 9:00pm
African-American identity has its origins in the traumatic rupture that was the Middle Passage and slavery. How is this experience transmitted inter-generationally? In what ways is it present in contemporary African-American culture? And how is its impact and influence to be worked through? We will explore this issue through the medium of Toni Morrison's Beloved, which is (among other things) a meditation on cultural trauma.
Savage Melancholia: The Violence of Unmetabolized Grief
Jed Sekoff, Ph.D.
Thursday, 3/12/2009 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Our world is tragically filled with loss and trauma, both social and personal. When obstacles to mourning interfere with the elaboration of grief, recovery and reconciliation become impossible. This talk will describe a dynamic wherein a melancholic reaction to unmetabolized social and personal loss leads to eruptions of violence. A history of this “savage melancholia” will be presented in slide show form, along with a discussion of the clinical and political implications of uncontained mourning.
The Effects of Global Social Trauma on Individual Psychology
Peter Goldberg, Ph.D.
Wednesday, 5/6/2009 7:30pm - 9:00pm
How do we adapt to the constant threats of war, genocide, nuclear catastrophe, and ever-increasing technology and mass consumerism? In this meeting we will discuss the dehumanizing effect on individuals wrought by traumatic changes in our world view. An implicit sense of cynicism and futility about relying on human individuals and institutions seems to have found its way into our contemporary psychical lives, with consequences that will be explored in this presentation. These include the proliferation of addictive self-regulatory practices focused on food, exercise, autoerotic fixations, technological obsessions and fetishistic relationships.
Location: SFCP Auditorium, 2340 Jackson St., 4th Floor, San Francisco (entrance on Webster St.)
Click here to download: Public Lecture Series 2008-2009 Flyer (PDF file)
Registration: Public Lecture Series
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___ A Soldier’s Heart: The Psychology of Courage
Nathan Szajnberg, M.D.
Thursday, 8/21/2008
___ What Accounts for Barack Obama’s Resilience?
Karim Dajani, Psy.D., M.F.T.
Thursday, 9/25/2008
___ Race and Current American Politics
Maureen Katz, M.D.
Wednesday, 10/22/2008
___ Hope, Inspiration and Politics: Reflections on the 2008 Election
Rachael Peltz, Ph.D.
Wednesday, 1/21/2009
___ Working Through Cultural Trauma
Victor Wolfenstein, Ph.D.
Monday, 2/2/2009
___ Savage Melancholia: The Violence of Unmetabolized Grief
Jed Sekoff, Ph.D.
Thursday, 3/12/2009
___ The Effects of Global Social Trauma on Individual Psychology
Peter Goldberg, Ph.D.
Wednesday, 5/6/2009
These lectures are free of charge.
Please send in registration or RSVP to:
SFCP, 2340 Jackson St., 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94115
415-563-5815/FAX 415-563-8406
finance@sf-cp.org
Public Lecture Series Co-Chairs:
Lisa Roth, Psy.D.
Beth Steinberg, Ph.D.
