Crush of the Unseen: Engaging Toxic Polarization in Small Groups
with Sue Kolod, PhD and Tom Hennes
Moderated by Mary McRae, EdD
Hosted by Maria Nardone, PhD
Presented by The Technology and Global Learning Committee
SATURDAY, JUNE 29th, 2024
10:00-11:30AM/Eastern time
1.5 CE Credits are available for attending this event.
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ABOUT THIS EVENT
Toxic polarization is defined as a state of intense, chronic polarization marked by high levels of loyalty to a person’s in-group and contempt or even hate for out-groups. Toxic polarization limits our ability to humanize and engage with political opponents.
Toxic polarization is occurring all over the world, both within psychoanalysis and in the world at large. Fueled by social media, the pandemic and authoritarian governments, it has become a defining characteristic of our “zeitgeist.”
It has frequently been noted that psychoanalysis has much to offer to alleviate toxic polarization: We are trained to be good listeners, to be able to hold different and sometimes opposing thoughts in our minds at the same time, to listen to ourselves as we listen to others, to pay attention to our reactions, both conscious and unconscious and to forego judgement.
But this has not proven to be the case. Psychoanalysts, in group settings, are just as prone, if not more so, to splitting and projection as those in the general public. What is missing?
The presenters will outline their experiences working in small groups and describe the encounters and techniques that have worked as well as those that have not been successful in alleviating toxic polarization.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Sue Kolod, PhD, is President-elect of the North American Psychoanalytic Confederation (NAPsaC). She is a Supervising and Training Analyst and member of the Faculty at the William Alanson White Institute and co-leads a study group on polarization called the Depolarization Project. Dr. Kolod is a Director-at-Large and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Psychoanalytic Association. In January 2024 Dr. Kolod was a presenter on a 2 part webinar on toxic polarization hosted by the International Psychoanalytic Association entitled, Behind the Scenes of Toxic Polarization: Consequences of a Divided World, Parts 1 & 2.
Dr. Kolod’s webinar presentations can be viewed through these two links:
Tom Hennes is one of the most sought-after exhibition designers in the world. He is founder of Thinc Design, an internationally recognized, award-winning exhibition design firm that has presented dynamic visitor experiences at museums and cultural attractions in numerous settings around the globe. Believing in the implicit power of the exhibition medium to engage society in important ways, Mr. Hennes has pursued an ever-deepening involvement with exhibition projects embedded in social and environmental justice. At Thinc he has encouraged an evolving conception of relational design, envisioning the exhibition as a narrative environment, rich in implicit and explicit confluences, contradictions, and paradox. Mr. Hennes has written extensively on the multi-faceted role of museums and has taught at leading academic and design institutions, including the Rhode Island School of Design, the Pratt Institute in Boisbuchet, France, New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, the University of Pretoria, among many others.
Mary B. McRae, Ed.D, today’s Moderator, is a counseling psychologist in private practice who does individual and group psychotherapy. She also does coaching and group facilitation to enhance more effective and productive functioning. She is a retired professor of Applied Psychology, New York University, where she taught for 27 years. Dr. McRae is the President of the William Alanson White Institute; a fellow of the A. K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems and a member of the New York Center for the Study of Groups, Organizations and Social Systems.
Maria Nardone, PhD, the Host of this event and series, is Faculty and Supervisor of Psychotherapy; Director of Technology and Global Learning; Former Director of the Online Interpersonal Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program for Russian Speakers; Former Chair, Council of Fellows, and Founding member of the Center for Public Mental Health at the William Alanson White Institute. Dr. Nardone is Co-Chair of American Psychoanalytic Association’s Social Issues Department and a North American Representative to the International Psychoanalytical Association’s Board of Directors. She is Adjunct Associate Professor in Fordham University’s graduate program in Healthcare Administration, and former Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Director of the Division of Psychological Services in the Department of OB/GYN at S.U.N.Y Downstate Medical Center. She is in private practice in New York City.
Learning Objectives of this presentation:
1. Participants will be able to define toxic polarization
2. Participants will begin to notice polarizing thoughts and feelings in themselves
3. Participants will be able to describe techniques that help alleviate polarization in small groups