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The paper consists of the opening chapter of Andrew Samuels' book The Political Psyche, published in 1993, together with a retrospective introduction. In the chapter, the author discussed the possibilities and limitations of applying depth psychological thinking to social and political problematics. He situates the attempt to make such applications within a wider movement to refresh and reform Western political endeavours. He terms this wider project 'resacralization'. The author cautions against psychological reductionism and a simplistic approach to market-based capitalism, calling for a transformation of the latter to the degree possible. He links sociopolitical criticism and psychological writings on numinous experience, thereby connecting the worlds of politics and depth psychology without losing their separate and unique qualities., (© 2019, The Society of Analytical Psychology.)

Alan G. Vaughan and Andrew Samuels, both Jungian analysts, met earnestly during the Analysis and Activism Conference first held in London in 2014. Impressed with the presentation of new paradigms and applications of principles of analytical psychology beyond the consulting room in communities of ethnically and economically diverse populations, their conversations increased through email exchanges and sharing ideas. In August 2017, they met in person during the International Association of Jungian Studies (IAJS) Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, the birthplace of Nelson Mandela. The exchanges were spirited and rich, the rapport genuine. Analytical psychology, analysis and activism, politics, economics, the African Diaspora, and the prevalence of the psychopathology of racism were discussed. Their conversations continued, in the Oakland hills of California, on December 17, 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article derives from an interview originally conducted for a webinar on relational psychotherapy. The focus is on relational approaches to political and social issues. The possibilities and limitations of such approaches are discussed in the interview. Attention is paid to ecopsychology and also to the interweave between personal experience and societal dynamics. The ways in which the political is still marginalized in psychotherapy are explored. Ideas about how to work directly in the session with clinical material that is political in nature are introduced. Specific attention is paid to situations where the therapist might be repelled by the viewpoints of the client. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an attempt to open discussion on the role of the individual, as opposed to the group, in contemporary progressive and radical politics. The phrase making a difference comes to mind. Academic ideas about the contexts and groups in which individuals operate are important yet require extensive revision. Jung’s ideas about the relationship of individuals and the social collective are useful as is Camus’ (1951/1953) book The Rebel. This article presents new thinking about individuals as fractured and broken as distinct from the autonomous unit promulgated by neoliberal thinking. Yet they remain individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three seemingly consensual propositions concerning psychotherapy and counselling are examined critically. All turn out to be unreliable, tendentious and even damaging: (i) Psychotherapy and counselling can be free and independent professions provided therapists, acting together, fight for them to be that way. (ii) Psychotherapy and counselling are private and personal activities, operating in the realms of feelings and emotions - the psyche, the unconscious, affects rooted in the body. Above all other factors, the single most important thing is the therapy relationship between two people, (iii) Psychotherapy and counselling, and psychotherapy are vocations, not jobs. Therapists are not only motivated by money. In developing his critiques of these propositions, the author utilizes social, political and economic perspectives. The author reviews new clinical thinking on the active role of the client in therapeutic process and suggests that a turn to the legendary figure of the Trickster might be of benefit to the field. The author locates his arguments in his experience of the politics and practices of psychotherapy and counselling, and engages in self-criticism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing Jung's idea of theory as a 'personal confession', the author charts his own development as a theorist, establishing links between his personal history and his ideas. Such links include his relationship with both parents, his sexuality, his cultural heritage, and his fascination with Tricksters and with Hermes. There follows a substantial critical interrogation of what the author discerns as the two main lines of clinical theorizing in contemporary analytical psychotherapy: interpretation of transference-countertransference, and the relational approach. His conclusion is that neither is superior to the other and neither is in fact adequate as a basis for clinical work. The focus then shifts to explore a range of political and social aspects of the clinical project of analytical psychology: economic inequality, diversity within the professional field, and Jung's controversial ideas about Jews and Africans. The author calls for an apology from the 'Jungian community' for remarks about Africans analogous to the apology already issued for remarks about Jews. The paper is dedicated to the author's friend Fred Plaut (1913-2009). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the application of ideas derived from psychotherapy to questions of economic and social policy. It is argued that disputes concerning human nature underlie many debates on economic theory. Class is reviewed from internal and emotional perspectives. Psychological obstacles to the achievement of economic inequality are explored and ways of overcoming them critically discussed. Particular attention is paid to the operation of economic sadism in the behaviour of individuals and societies. A range of possible gender differences in relation to money is reviewed. Inherited wealth is explored from the perspective of ‘therapy thinking’. The paper proposes that we reconsider what is deemed to be realistic and what is deemed to be (hopelessly) idealistic in thinking about economics. The paper concludes by proposing a deeper discussion of the problematic of sacrifice in connection with sustainable economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current global crisis is confronting humanity with an unprecedented challenge to find sustainable ways of living. There is a need for cooperative action to find alternatives to the reductionist and materialist mind-sets that have contributed to the current global crisis. This state of affairs calls for a political transformation, which is founded upon a renewed vision that recognizes and values the interdependence of all forms of life. This proposition is underscored by the importance of a shift in consciousness that leads to a greater depth of engagement in life; however, there is no precedent set for how such a change at a collective level could occur. In this article we discuss how the transformational phenomena known as spiritual emergencies may be revealing spontaneous changes in consciousness that could be leading people to experience greater depths in the way that they live. This shift in consciousness can be viewed as an enantiodromia, which is a naturally occurring process that precipitates a reaction or flow to an opposite position when a situation becomes unbalanced or too one-sided. We are suggesting that the enantiodromias of spiritual emergencies are heralding a wake-up call for the collective, which could be initiating a renewed vision for a deeper relationship to consciousness and life as a whole. We conclude by outlining six propositions for initiating a political transformation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author begins by trying to imagine different models of politics applicable to Western societies. He reflects on the “state we are in” and asks if our present condition of political rupture could ever become political rapture. He asks whether it is possible for citizens to remove themselves from the abusive relationships with heroic, macho leaders. Instead, he states, we might ask where we will find new kinds of leaders who will be “good-enough”. We will need such leaders if we are to manage the staggeringly high levels of conflict and aggression afflicting the political world today. The author suggests that we urgently explore innovative ways to manage conflict in political contexts using new psychological ideas about men, fathers and violence. Finally, he communicates what he has learned from Islam about some hidden aspects of political conflict. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author explains the political, psychological and ethical reasons for writing about promiscuity. His previous work on what is ‘more-than-personal’ embraced politics and spirituality in the context of psychotherapy. He sets this inquiry in the historical context of the fortieth anniversary of the ‘sexual revolution’ of the 1960s, reviewing critically the debate as to whether there was or was not a revolution. The manifold connections between sexual promiscuity and political critique are explored. This sets the scene for the location of promiscuous phenomena within a spiritual or transpersonal domain. Promiscuities (in the plural) rather than monolithic promiscuity are surveyed in terms of sex and sexual diversity. Promiscuity is reviewed in terms of imaginative process. Finally, the hypocritical attitudes towards promiscuity on the part of many (but not all) psychotherapists are explored with the intention of discovering the reasons for this phenomenon. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I begin with some general issues and problems of defining the 'S' word. Next, I present a contemporary anatomy of spirituality stressing connections to lived experience in society. The third section is on 'responsibility' and how that links to psychological, spiritual and political concerns. Finally, inevitably, given my Jungian background, I discuss the shadow of spirituality. Throughout I make connections to the clinical encounter and dialogue in psychotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]