PSYCHOANALYSIS IN TIMES OF CATASTROPHE: Annual Lecture of 2026

Please join us for the 2026 Annual Lecture featuring a rich and timely lecture and conversation with analyst, author, and professor Jamieson Webster, Ph.D.

Dr. Webster will present her work on psychoanalysis in times of catastrophe, political conflict, and war. What role does psychoanalysis play? What is the role of political commitment in the position of the analyst? What can be learned historically, especially from texts that specifically address the question of America? Drawing on Freud’s contested study of President Woodrow Wilson, including a newly discovered Yale manuscript, and Erik Erikson’s diagnosis of America in Childhood and Society, we will encounter insights into these difficult and pressing questions. Surprisingly, Freud and Erikson’s politics amount to a diagnosis of the collapse of fantasy in the face of catastrophe or breakdown, and the various attempts at compensation.

Following the presentation, Dr. Webster will take up these ideas in a live discussion with analyst and author Francisco González, M.D., challenging us to expand our understanding of neutrality and ethics beyond political allegiance or ideology, while drawing on a broad history of thought to situate us in the present moment.

A wine and cheese reception will follow from 5:00 – 6:00 PM.

*This event will be available to attend in-person and via Zoom. For more details about this event, how to apply for scholarship funds, or cancellation and refund policies, please visit the "Psychoanalysis in Times of Catastrophe" event page on our website.

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