“Mind of State: Politics, Psyche and Soul in Turbulent Times” is a six-week course based the recent book, MIND OF STATE: Conversations on the Psychological Conflicts Stirring U.S. Politics and Society. Timed to run through the heart of the 2024 presidential election season, this course is aimed to help participants make sense of what has often felt like sociopolitical nonsense.
A reframing of conversations from the Mind of State podcast (2019–2021), this series offers insights from our guests — experts in politics, psychology, social psychology, political science, and climate justice, to name a few — whom we invited to help us understand the confusing complexities of American political psychology.
Unlike traditional political analyses, which often overlook the psychological aspects, or psychological studies that neglect the political context, our course navigates the intertwined nature of psyche and polis. Through lecture and discussion focused on each of the six sections of our book, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how psychology and politics influence each other in contemporary American society.
Drawing from the layered conversations in the Mind of State podcast, this course works with a myriad of clinical and psychological concepts, from cultural complexes to attachment theory, from trauma-informed treatment to scapegoating. With these tools, we explore the anxieties, biases, and motivations underlying our social and political behavior, shedding light on the complexities of human nature in the political arena.
“Mind of State: Politics, Psyche and Soul in Turbulent Times” offers a unique opportunity to reflect, analyze, and make sense of our psychopolitical landscape, empowering individuals to engage in challenging times with empathy, critical thinking, and the much-needed space to reflect.
Course Overview: (Weekly Titles/Themes)
- Week 1 FRAMEWORK: On Cultural Complexes and the Soul of America
- Week 2 ACKNOWLEDGING DEATH, TRAUMA & LOSS: How Unresolved Trauma Has Driven U.S. History and Politics
- Week 3 WHY TRUTH MATTERS: The Ways in Which Truth— or the lack thereof — Determines Democracy
- Week 4 ANXIETIES OF RACE & DOMINANCE: How Our Differences Stress Us, Psychologically and Politically
- Week 5: DEMOCRACY AT RISK: Our Faith in Democracy is Wavering — and Why
- Week 6: THE IMPORTANCE OF MYTH IN POLITICS: On the Underlying Myths that Drive Us