We will explore the concept of the social or normative unconscious in psychoanalysis. I believe this concept helps us understand the unprecedented entrance of sociopolitical events in the consulting room and informs us for how to listen and position ourselves with our clients. In addition, I believe this concept helps us think about our participation in community and offers possibilities for how to expand the psychoanalytic tent.
Presenter
Karen Weisbard is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst. She is a Consulting Analyst and Chair of the Two-Year Certificate Program in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at the Seattle Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (SPSI). She is an Instructor at the Western Canada Psychoanalytic Institute in Vancouver, BC, and Founding Member of the Two-Year Certificate Program in Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy in China.
Class outline
An article will be assigned each week of class for discussion. In addition, we will participate in group activities that bring the concepts discussed into experiential learning about ourselves, each other, and the formation of community.
Learning Objectives
- At the end of the 6 weeks, the participant will be able to define the social or normative unconscious, demonstrate through clinical or personal experience how it is manifest, and demonstrate how this understanding is relevant to healing and growth for individuals.
- At the end of the 6 weeks, the participant will set a goal for how often they will listen for expressions of the normative unconscious and a goal for how often they will address its manifestation in the clinical hour.
- At the end of the 6 weeks, the participant will plan how to use the understandings they learned in this class to increase their participation in building community. This may include concrete steps like spending time with others who are different from you, making a commitment to address difficult group dynamics in your communities, or planning to talk about the social/normative unconscious with others.