Between Us: A Psychotherapy Podcast Episode 54: Everybody Stays Chill
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Jul 9, 2025 Lynne Layton, a Harvard-affiliated psychologist and psychoanalytic theorist, dives deep into the interplay of culture and ideology. She discusses her influential concept of the normative unconscious and how it reveals the societal forces impacting our minds, beyond just family dynamics. Layton addresses the backlash against 'wokeism' in the psychoanalytic community and connects neoliberalism to racism and social character. She also offers insights on having constructive conversations amid political divides, emphasizing shared experiences and understanding.
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Psyche Is Socially Formed
- Lynne Layton argues the unconscious is shaped by social forces beyond family dynamics.
- She links psychoanalysis with feminist and Frankfurt School ideas to widen the field's focus.
Sneezing Into Unconscious Realization
- Lynne Layton recounts sneezing through a Freud lecture and realizing unconscious processes.
- That experience led her to personal analysis and a career shift into psychotherapy.
Two Unconsciouses In The Room
- Relational psychoanalysis allows the psyche to be formed in relationships beyond the nuclear family.
- Two unconsciouses in the room mean therapists can collude with cultural norms unconsciously.
