Special Event
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
8:00 pm
Presenters: Leon Hoffman, M.D. and Coline Covington, Ph.D.
The presenters will discuss the political dynamics of populism from a psychoanalytic perspective. They will stress the group’s sense of vulnerability and fear and the powerful role the populist leader plays for the group within this psychological state. A charismatic leader is chosen who promises to make the group powerful, perverting the truth by promoting “alt-facts” which fit into the fantasy life of the leader and group. Two approaches are discussed: (1) understanding how vulnerable groups attempt to deal with traumatic experiences by utilizing maladaptive defense mechanisms, such as denial and projection, in order to protect themselves from unbearable negative emotions and (2) understanding that when a large group’s survival and identity are under threat, individual mindfulness is dissolved in the service of defending against the experience of loss and trying to restore a sense of potency within the group.
2 CME/ CE credits offered.
