S1E108 - Jungian Psychiatrist Tom Singer on Trump's Mental State, Elon Musk, Jung and Freud

Listen on Apple Poscasts

Listen on Spotify

This episode with Jungian psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and author Dr. Thomas Singer, one of the contributors to "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump," began with a discussion of President-elect Donald Trump's present mental state and what appears to have shifted from the first time he was elected to the nation's highest office. Dr. Singer spoke with Michael Krasny about the shadow self and the notion of Trump invading individual psyches of both followers and detractors and being drawn to selecting sexually transgressive individuals for presidential appointments, as well as the relevance of cultural complexes. From there, the two spoke of Elon Musk and his relationship with Trump and various uses of technology for political advantages and media fragmentation. A wide-ranging discussion followed on Jungian concepts and what Tom Singer characterized as the "highly charged" relationship of Jung and Freud and an incident which occurred at Clark University in 1907. The episode concluded with a discussion of modern technology's manipulation of archetypes, fear of what Dr. Singer called "the great unknown of AI," the role of rituals and cultural identity, trigger words and their effects, as well as a consideration of the efficacy of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis and the importance of transference. All of this expansive intellectual range of interconnected topics could be classified as what Dr. Singer called, in a book based on his podcast, a sterling example of circumambulation.

Biography

Thomas Singer, MD, is a psychiatrist and Jungian psychoanalyst who trained at Yale Medical School, Dartmouth Medical School, and the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco. He is the author and editor of many articles and books, including a series of books on cultural complexes in Australia, Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the United States. Cultural Complexes and the Soul of America won the IAJS award for Best Edited Book of 2020. In addition, Dr. Singer has co-edited a series of books on Ancient Greece/Modern Psyche. His most recent book, Mind of State: Conversations on the Psychological Conflicts Stirring US Society and Politics, explores the many layers of conflict contributing to the polarization and dystopian mood of our times. Dr. Singer serves on the Board of ARAS (Archive for Research into Archetypal Symbolism) and has edited ARAS Connections for many years.

Conversation recorded on November 27, 2024.

Listen on Apple Poscasts

Listen on Spotify

Previous
Previous

S1E109 - Cory Doctorow - The Intersection of Storytelling and Technology

Next
Next

S1E107 - Michael Connelly - Over Eighty-Five Million Detective and Crime Fiction Novels Sold Plus Movies and TV