Can Psychoanalytic Interpretations Influence Political Events? A presentation by Michael Rustin

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Like many other people, members of the psychoanalytic and psychotherapeutic culture are very concerned and upset about destructive political developments in today's world, among the worst of which include ongoing wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. The question I shall explore in this presentation is whether there is anything that can be said from a psychoanalytic perspective which can throw light on these situations and make a difference to them.

One response to such issues taken by psychoanalysts has been to ask that psychoanalytic institutions take up public positions of principle in regard to such crises, for example, condemning particular actions taken by involved governments. This response is fully understandable when illegal actions, aggressions, and atrocities seem to be involved, as may often be the case. However, in some psychoanalytic institutions, such taking of positions has proved to be very contentious and difficult, as it has turned out that there are conflicting points of view which have sometimes made even discussion of them difficult.

I will develop the view that the most valuable action psychoanalysts and psychotherapists can undertake is to try to add to the understanding and explanation of what is happening in particular situations, taking into account especially their unconscious and emotional dimensions. It may be through their capacity to identify the meaning of conflicts for their participants and for others, including what may be seen as their emotionally-driven nature, that psychoanalysis has something more distinctive to offer than merely adding a few more voices which advocate a point of view. The work of those who have worked to mediate severe conflicts, such as Lord John Alderdice, provides instructive examples of how some greater understanding and alleviation of conflicts can be achieved.

I will explore some examples of such issues to encourage discussion.

Michael Rustin - Biographical Background

Michael Rustin is a Professor of Sociology at the University of East London, a Visiting Professor at the Tavistock and Portman Trust, and an Associate of the British Psychoanalytical Society. He has written widely on the relevance of psychoanalytic perspectives to society and politics, including in his books The Good Society and the Inner World (1991) and Reason and Unreason (2001), and in articles including “How can psychoanalytic interpretations of political situations have effects as actions?" International Journal of Psychoanalysis, Vol 105 (3) (2024), pp 398–404.