Psychotherapy & Politics International

Editorial

Karen Minikin — 2024-07-31

‘A leader or a father?’

Yana Nikolova — 2024-07-23

The main aim of this article is to provide an alternative explanation about the occurrence of populism through the lens of psychoanalysis. Using the concept of transference, the article explains why populism occurs in politics and what the unseen unconscious psychological processes are that form political choices in some societies. It also aims to open a discussion about what type of culture, society, or large group may experience transference when populism is on the rise, and also what type of populism may be the result of transference.

Using the example of a popular media figure winning an election in Bulgaria in 2021, this work combines political, social, and psychological literature on populism with the psychoanalytic concepts of transference (Freud, 1921) and ‘names-of-the-father’ (Lacan, 2013) to explore some large-group processes (Volkan, 2020). By bringing transference from the field of psychotherapy to the field of politics and large-group studies, the work offers a new explanation of why populism is a phenomenon of psychoanalytic nature.

On the strength of exploring the role of transference in large groups within a specific context of politics, the content makes a contribution to the literature on group transference, extends its application to the social and political sphere, and brings the concept of transference to Vamik Volkan’s large-group psychology field. This addresses a gap in current psychoanalytic literature related to social and political phenomena such as populism. Hence, the work creates a bridge between the fields of politics, psychotherapy, and psychoanalysis.

Troublesome boys, prison, and intimate partner violence

Seán Manning — 2024-07-23

This article uses developmental and philosophical notions derived from the work of de Beauvoir, Canguilhem, Foucault, Rose, Butler, and others to build a theory of what happens to the sense of self of young men in prison and establishes a connection between the experience of imprisonment and men’s violence towards women. It is the second in a series exploring the development of a criminal subjectivity as a consequence of criminal justice systems, particularly imprisonment, which are designed to cope with the behaviour resulting from criminal identity, in an endless loop.

Possibilities and limitations of anti-racist training within a counselling programme

Matthew Whitney — 2024-07-23

This research presents a thematic analysis from the participants of a specific anti-racism session within counselling education in a university setting. The research team were a self-chosen subset of the participants, and the themes came from reflections of the participants at the start and end of the session. The three main themes are: defensiveness, openness, and engagement, and each also had sub-themes. These themes are discussed and recommendations for future anti-racism education are elucidated.

Parrhesia as therapy in ‘fragile times’

Bert Olivier — 2024-07-23

This article approaches the question of the relation between parrhesia (truth-telling or truth-speaking) and (self-)empowerment from the perspective of Michel Foucault’s resurrection of the ancient Greek concept and practice by that name. This is done to be able to negotiate the present global terrain where there appears to be a dearth of such truth-telling, and an abundance of obfuscation, judging by the available evidence. A distinction is made between ‘truth’ and ‘truth-speaking’, to highlight the fact that parrhesia is not a theory of truth, before a negotiation of Foucault’s text—interspersed with references to other texts and practices—is embarked upon. Foucault took pains to distinguish parrhesia as truth-speaking from instances where one is indeed speaking the truth to an audience or a friend, such as where a lecturer in linguistics is telling her students the truth about linguistic theories. By contrast, parrhesia does not merely instantiate speaking the truth in such a safe, innocuous manner; it involves speaking truth under circumstances where courage in the face of danger is involved—either because one is telling a valued friend the barefaced truth about what is required from them to rescue your mutual friendship (which does not concern me here), or because you are speaking the truth in public and to powerful others, under dangerous circumstances where you take a significant risk by doing so. This, as well as the manifestation of evil, today, is elaborated on before the question is posed: what, if any, therapeutic consequences does such risky truth-telling have for the speaker, and by implication also for the listener(s)? This is pursued in light of Foucault’s observation, that the truth-teller or parrhesiastes takes up a specific relationship to herself—one which is a manifestation of her refusal to be false to herself. This, it is argued, has demonstrable ethical and therapeutic value for the truth-speaker as well as, potentially, for at least some of those who witness the act of truth-telling. In the final analysis it is a practice that cultivates a sense of autonomy and community during ‘fragile times’, such as the present.

An introduction to mutual support groups based on the work of Alan Robinson

Luis Gerardo Arroyo Lynn — 2024-07-23

This text is based on a reading of Alan Robinson’s work, from which the aim is to question the institution of ‘saneism’ and the logic behind psychiatric discourses. It is from this perspective that we turn to the possibility of posing and thinking about mutual support groups as a way to confront the over-individualisation of mental health perspectives, aiming at collective alternatives that escape from the predominant neoliberal logic. Part of the intention of this text is not only to make a brief tour of the background and tools that mutual support groups have, but also to think about the possibilities of their application within the field of mental health.

Outrageous Reason: Madness & Race in Britain & Empire, 1780–2020 (Book review)

Kieran Mac Feely — 2024-07-31

Outrageous Reason: Madness & Race in Britain & Empire, 1780–2020 (Book review)

Sham Selvaratnam — 2024-07-31

Spotlight on Gaza

Fauzia Gaba — 2024-07-23