The Jung Society of Washington‘s 150th Birthday Fundraising Lecture will feature Carolyn Bates, North American Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Analytical Psychology and distinguished senior training analyst with the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts. Her presentation, “Wars and Rumors of War,” examines the profound influence of military conflicts on C.G. Jung’s psychological development and theoretical contributions.
Dr. Bates’ exploration centers on three pivotal moments in Jung’s biography: his birth into a world recovering from the Franco-Prussian War and the international financial crisis of 1873, his descent into creative illness coinciding with the outbreak of World War I, and his post-World War II reflections in “After the Catastrophe.” Through this framework, she will investigate how these collective traumas shaped Jung’s understanding of psychic renewal and symbolic reckoning.
The presentation extends beyond historical analysis to contemporary relevance, inviting participants to examine how war—whether internal, interpersonal, cultural, or international—influences individual psychological development. Dr. Bates draws upon Jung’s post-war insight that effective analytical work requires mutual transformation, emphasizing our interconnectedness within complex personal, cultural, and political dynamics.
A seasoned practitioner based in Austin since 1991, Dr. Bates brings three decades of expertise in analytical psychology, with particular focus on collective trauma, synchronicity, and sociopolitical dynamics. Her international presentations have addressed ethics, technology’s collective influence, feminist perspectives on mythology, and contemporary issues including gun violence in America. This free fundraising lecture promises to illuminate the enduring relevance of Jungian psychology in understanding our current global tensions.