Large-Group Psychology

What strikes me again on reading this book by Vamık Volkan is his extraordinary capacity to convey complex concepts resulting from psychoanalysis in a language that can be understood by everyone, and how they can be applied to society at large. Vamık Volkan reveals the ways in which his personal story, linked to large-group conflicts in Cyprus, his international diplomatic experiences, and his long experience as a psychoanalyst, are interweaved with the development of his theoretical frameworks, which greatly contribute to the understanding of our present time.
In this book, Vamık Volkan addresses major present issues, like the growing divide of large groups, the technical changes (robotization, AI), the psychology of political leaders, linked to this essential question: “Who are we now as a civilization?” Large-group psychology, resulting from Vamık Volkan’s works, should be an integral part of all university studies, as much as history and other academic science humanities.

-- Brigitte Demeure, PhD, President of the French Society of Psychohistory and former Vice-president of the A2IP (Association Internationale Interactions de la psychanalyse)

Having been a close witness to Dr. Volkan’s teachings, writings, and practices on large-group psychology for four decades, I heartily welcome his classic tome on the subject. We have here a masterful, comprehensive, and highly nuanced chronicle of his work that draws wisdom from private and public consultations in such august places as the US State Department, the offices of Foreign Ministries abroad, the Kremlin, classrooms in Finland, Germany, Israel, Austria, Turkey and here in the United States, among many other settings. In all these environs, he has enabled curious minds to expand in ethical, productive, and creative ways, closed minds to gradually open, enabled bellicose enemies and allies in fractured communities to reconfigure their embedded hostilities.
‘Henceforth, psychoanalysts, psychologically minded diplomats, historians and other scholars will think and practice differently. Henceforth, the intersection between internal and external spheres of reference will become a productive and curative space for working through traumatic and unmetabolized and/or disabling communal memories. A spiral causality where inside and outside change spaces, historical and contemporary events mirror each other and obligate us to resubjectivize the events of history into a represented sense of history will have pride of place in clinical inquiry, peacemaking, nation building, and multiple contexts of conflict resolution. After reading “Large-Group Psychology”, as the subtitle of the book points to, we will have to ask ourselves who we are in the face of racism, societal divisions, and narcissistic leaders in turbulent times such as ours today.

-- Maurice Apprey, PhD, DM, FIPA, Professor of Psychiatry, Dean of African American Affairs,and Associate Vice-president of Student Affairs, University of Virginia and Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst, Contemporary Freudian Society

Vamık Volkan in his new book masterfully weaves together the many strands that go into the formation of the concept “large-group psychology”. The central psychological factor in starting and keeping alive large-group conflicts is the protection and maintenance of large-group identity such as “We are Palestinians” or “We are Croats”.
‘His impetus to write the book was outrage over a racist incident in his hometown. The response by the authorities was an endorsement of societal division. The focus of this book is an examination of the causes of such divisions. He provides an absorbing narrative of his unique conceptual psychoanalytic approach. His suggested interventions are based on his understanding of the conflict. He addresses and suggests approaches to diffuse flashpoints of conflicts in many countries. He is a gifted writer who describes how personal incidents in his life led to his lifelong interest in the field of large-group interactions.
‘To sum up, this is an outstanding book that will reward the reader with a clear understanding of the underlying causes of large group conflicts.

-- Gunther Perdigao, M. D., Member of the Executive Committee, International Psychoanalytical Association and Associate Secretary General, International Psychoanalytical Association 2009–2013

Written in plain English, free of jargon, and with many examples and stories from the author’s vast experience with patients, countries, world leaders, and most importantly, with himself as a Turk growing up in a divided Cyprus, coming to the United States, and becoming a world figure. As such, this is a book that can be read profitably by the general public, historians, and mental health workers unfamiliar with Volkan’s contributions, as well as grizzled veterans of psychohistory more familiar with his work. … there are still new things to be learned here. … Volkan is one of the most creative and inspiring psychoanalytic writers of our time. His work, inside and outside of the consulting room, deserves to be widely known. This book goes a long way in making that happen.

-- John Jacob Hartman * Clio Psyche Vol. 27 No. 1 (2020) *

‘The chapter on large-group psychology is informative, demonstrating roots in Freudian writing and touching on ‘we-ness’, shared prejudice, externalisation, the ‘other’, transgenerational transmissions, large-group mourning, trauma, entitlement and regression […] it should appeal to a wide range of students of psychotherapy, psychology and sociology.’

-- Colin Feltham, emeritus professor of critical counselling studies at Sheffield Hallam University – BACP Therapy Today Sept.