Psychoanalytic Synthesis and Innovation in Times of Upheaval
presented by the Psychoanalytic Society of the William Alanson White Institute
DANIEL PICK, PhD
PARANOID STATES: Reflections on Psychoanalytic Thought, Conspiracy Theory, and Political Life
with Moderator David Thurn, PhD, LCSW-R
FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 1st, 7:30-9:30pm
Presented in person, on location at the Institute
20 West 74th Street (between Central Park West & Columbus Avenue)
Seating for this and all Colloquium events are on a first come, first serve basis.
ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION
It is a truism to say that today we live in a world of ultra-suspicion. But what is the appeal of that world? How has it arisen and where are we heading now? Why is every major news story shadowed by myriad conspiracy theories as well as claims and counter-claims about mass brainwashing? In addressing these issues, Daniel Pick’s will revisit classic psychoanalytic ideas about paranoia, alongside famous historical works, case studies and works of cinema. He will ask how far past theories and stories may help us make sense of the dark times we are living in now.
1.5 CEs are available for attending this presentation. Prior to the event an email is sent out with specific instructions about how to request your credits. To receive credit, you must sign in at the event to confirm your attendance. (Late registrants should request instructions on the first business day after the event.)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Daniel Pick, PhD, is a psychoanalyst and historian, and recipient of the 2023 Sigourney Award. He was educated at Cambridge, and taught for many years at London University. He is a training and supervising analyst at the British Psychoanalytical Society, and professor emeritus at Birkbeck, University of London. His books include Faces of Degeneration: A European Disorder, c. 1848-1918; War Machine: The Rationalization of Slaughter in the Modern Age; Svengali’s Web: he Alien Enchanter in Modern Culture; The Pursuit of the Nazi Mind; Psychoanalysis: A Very Short Introduction; and most recently, Brainwashed: A New History of Thought Control. 2014-21, From 2014 to 2021, he ran a team-based project, on behalf of the Wellcome Trust, focusing on the history of hidden persuasion and brainwashing.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
David Thurn, PhD, LCSW, is a psychoanalyst in private practice in New York and in New Jersey. He is a graduate of the William Alanson White Institute, where he taught the Freud course for many years, as well as a course on psychoanalysis and literature. A former academic, David has also taught at Cornell, Vassar, and Princeton on a wide range of courses in literature, and courses addressing literature in interdisciplinary contexts.
Event Learning Objectives
To explain key psychoanalytic ideas about paranoid states of mind, as developed by Freud, Klein and others.
To discuss about the history of endeavors to apply those psychoanalytic ideas to cultural, social and political phenomena, past and present.
To consider the opportunities and potential difficulties of applied psychoanalytic thought in historical inquiries.
To investigate how historians and cultural theorists have developed their ideas about the paranoid style’ in political thought, and to compare and contrast past and present analyses of the popular appeal and political exploitation of conspiracy theory.