63rd Annual Conference

Chair:         

Stanley Schneider, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Chairman, Program for Advanced Studies in Integrative Psychotherapy, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel         

Panelists:         

Stephanie L. Fariss, JD, LCSW, Private Practice, Chicago, IL

Earl Hopper, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Private Practice, London, England

Werner Knauss, Dipl. Psych. Private Practice, Heidelberg, Germany

The Social Unconscious (SU) is defined as the existence and constraints of social, cultural and communicational arrangements of which people are unaware. It includes the representation of social forces and power relations in the psyche. The SU of a certain culture is also reflected in groups, especially in large groups.  The large group is a valuable structure from which we can learn about the SU, mass psychology and society-at-large. Six clinicians will present their views of the SU and discuss it with the audience. In the same manner that unconscious forces can drive an individual without his/her knowledge, a group, an organization or the entire society can also act upon unconscious forces.

The attendee will be able to:

1. Define the social unconscious.

2. Identify several points of view about the social unconscious.

3. Differentiate between the social unconscious and the collective unconscious.

1. Dalal, F. (2001) ‘The Social Unconscious: A post-Foulkesian perspective. Group Analysis, 34(4), 539-555.

2. Hopper, E. (2003). The Social Unconscious: Selected papers. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

3. Schneider, S. & Weinberg, H. (2003) (Eds.). The Large Group Re-Visited: The herd, primal horde, crowds and masses.  London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

4. Singer, T. & Kimbles, S. (2004) (Eds.).  The Cultural Complex: Contemporary Jungian perspectives on psyche and society.  New York: Brunner-Routledge.