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The Association for Psychoanalytic Medicine presents a symposium:

Attacks on Thinking:

Dialogues on the Distortion of Reality in the Social Sphere

Saturday, April 26, 2025
9am - 4:30pm
Online or in-person at the Lee C. Bollinger Forum

located on the corner of 125th Street and Broadway

Hans Loewald argued that thinking about reality always involves interpretation. How we interpret the world depends on what we include and exclude as facts and on the theories we use. 

In the social sphere, culture wars are raging. Facts, truth, emotions, and thinking itself are twisted and fragmented by propaganda enabled by the deft capturing and manipulation of the media.  George Orwell wrote, “Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.” There is much to unpack here, drawing on multiple perspectives. 

In recent times, psychoanalysts mostly have practiced their arts behind closed doors, invisible to the public eye. Now, in this time of violent attacks on the methods and institutions painstakingly built to explore reality and to further human progress, we believe psychoanalysts must join the fray with kindred disciplines, adding their psychological insights to our communal thinking.

In dialogue with scholars from journalism, history, politics, and literature, as well as an expert in systems perspectives on unconscious processes, we aim to deepen our understanding of the social pathologies plaguing us. 

The symposium consists of three panels over the course of the day, with twelve brief presentations and dedicated time for exchange of ideas with the attendees. 

Anyone interested in these crucial issues is welcome to join our conversation. 

Program

Panel 1: Repeating the History of Destructive Aggression, Media I (aka, “Reviving Voldemort & the Death Eaters”)
Frank Yeomans
Dagmar Herzog 
Ivor Shapiro
James Krantz 
Moderator: Ted Kenny

Panel 2: Limiting Freedoms & Targeting Groups, Media II (aka, “Finagling Authoritarianism”)
Zahid Chaudhary 
Lauren Dwyer
Ben Kafka
Dionne Powell
Moderator: David Lindy

Panel 3: Group Psychology & The Social Unconscious in the Service of Attacking Higher Education (aka, “Burning Books”)
Carlo Invernizzi Accetti
Usha Tummala-Narra
Karim Dajani
Eric Marcus
Moderator: Shabnam Shakibaie Smith

View detailed agenda

Learn more about the panelists

Registration Fees

Early Bird Registration (Last day 04/04/2025)

APM Members: $175
Non-APM Members: $225

Regular Registration (Last day 04/21/2025)

APM Members: $200
Non-APM Members: $250
Late Registration (after 4/21/2025)    $275
Candidates and Graduate Students    $100
Undergraduate Students (Sliding Scale available, based on Financial Need)  $75

Refund and cancelation policy: Registrants can request a full refund by emailing the APM until 11:59pm on Friday, April 11, at which time no refunds will be issued. In the unlikely event that the program is canceled, all fees will be refunded.

Registration is available for both in-person and online attendance.
In-person attendance is strongly encouraged.

Reserve your seat!

Learning objectives: 
After attending this session, participants should be able to:

1.    Apply an enhanced understanding of unconscious mental processes in individuals and groups – especially destructive aggression – towards explaining resurgent authoritarianism, including also the influence of mass media on these psychological and social processes.

2.    List the unconscious mental processes and the impact of media in targeting and manipulating specific social groups to advance extreme agendas.

3.    Describe the social unconscious and examine its influence on the dynamics empowering illiberal attacks on higher education.

Continuing Education Information
 

In-person attendees should sign in at the event on the sheets provided, and participants joining via Zoom should sign in using the online form (link provided in the chat) during the event. Only those who sign in will receive a survey link via email to claim credits.

CME FOR PSYCHIATRISTS

ACCME Accreditation Statement
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of American Psychoanalytic Association and the Association for Psychoanalytic Medicine. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement
The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this live activity for a maximum of 5.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure Statement
The APsA CE Committee has reviewed the materials for accredited continuing education and has determined that this activity is not related to the product line of ineligible companies and therefore, the activity meets the exception outlined in Standard 3: ACCME's identification, mitigation and disclosure of relevant financial relationship. This activity does not have any known commercial support.

CE FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS

Columbia University Department of Psychiatry is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0168. In accordance with NYSED State Board requirements, this live activity is designated for a maximum of 5.5 CE credit.

CE FOR SOCIAL WORKERS

Columbia University Department of Psychiatry is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0732. In accordance with NYSED State Board requirements, this live activity is designated for a maximum of 5.5 CE credit.