67th Annual Conference

Friday, February 26

The Large Group

This session is also being held on Thursday (7:15-8:15) and Saturday (1:30-4:00 pm). Participants should try to attend all sessions.

Chairs:

Macario Giraldo, Ph.D., Faculty, Washington School of Psychiatry, Washington, DC

Ayana Watkins-Northern, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Services, Chief Psychologist, Howard University Counseling Service, Washington, DC

In the psychoanalytic Large Group participants experience the ideals and prohibitions that structure the social link and the ways how the unconscious of each member runs up against such structure. Participants are encouraged to contribute their thoughts and feelings in spontaneous fashion to find their own voice and that of the developing community. Participants should try to attend all sessions.

Learning Objectives:

The attendees will be able to:

1. Compare the ideals and prohibitions of the social group with their own.

2. Appraise the role of regression in large group situations.

3. Question their ego narrative vs. the "savoir" (special knowledge) of the unconscious.

Course References:

Salecl, R. (2006). Choice and the ultimate incurable. UMBR(a) 85-98.

de Mendelssohn, F. (2000). The aesthetics of the political in group analytic process: The wider scope. Group Analysis 33(4), 438-458.

Pines, M. (2003). Large Group and Culture. In S. Schneider & H. Weinberg (Eds.), The Large Group Revisited (pp 48-57) London, Jessica Kingsley.