In this podcast episode, I dialogue with psychotherapist Kellum Lewis about the newly disruptive election and its high stakes in a four-part series we will be holding. We envision this series to focus a psychological lens on the menace an authoritarian regime might pose for civic and psychic life in the challenging years ahead—and what can be done electorally and politically. We will explore psychoanalytic concepts to help analyze the mental structures that produce the authoritarian personality and fascist group-mindedness.
The news, however, disrupted our plans. The day we were to talk, Biden announced he would step down as a candidate, and Harris galvanized the long-suffering democratic movement to unify (on a full moon in Capricorn). A mixture of exhilarating excitement and foreboding worry fell upon our conversation as we announced how we might roll out the next series.
Kellum and I have known each other for 30 years. Our bond is rooted in the intersection of psychology, history, and activism, the amalgamation of which aims to change the world from the inside out and outside in. To honor this tripartite model of psychological illumination, we will share insights from the Netflix documentary series “Hitler and the Circle of Evil,” which combines shocking footage, academic commentary, and dramatic reenactments to identify the roots of the authoritarian impulse.
This preparatory episode discusses Freudian and other ideas to introduce how the psyche is structured at this point in the civilization process to be exploited by fascist impulses unless individuals and collectives work on their dark sides for the sake of “inner emancipation.” Perhaps the profound “descent into the underworld” over the last month—which broke just as we began recording!—is an object lesson of learning how to work collaboratively with the dark side of the psyche rather than trample it, as authoritarians are wont to do.
Thank you for reading and for your support. If you’d consider becoming a monthly supporter at $5 per month and $50 per year, this will help me produce more content and offer special talks and group meetings for paying subscribers.
Share this post