Mind of State

What do Duck Dynasty and The Family Guy have to do with US politics? And what happens when we so identify with a group that we want it to win, even when it's against our self-interest? Our guest, Dr. Lilliana Mason, explores the political impact of "in-group / out-group" dynamics in her book, Uncivil Politics: How Politics Became Our Identity. She uses social psychology to explain how both Republicans and Democrats have come to view politics through an emotional "us / them” lens, and how damaging this is to our political process that relies on negotiation, compromise, collaboration and cooperation -- not winning at all costs. © Copyright Original Music "Royal Flush Gang" by Composer Joel Goodman; Published by Oovra Music See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Peter Glick returns for a bonus episode to help us unpack and understand the week’s controversy surrounding Rep. Ilhan Omar’s tweet about the pro-Israel lobby, specifically AIPAC. Michael, Betty, and Peter take on the difficult and fraught conversation about anti-Semitism and Israel, and add important psychological insights missing from the debate.© Copyright Original Music "Royal Flush Gang" by Composer Joel Goodman; Published by Oovra Music See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Recently, the US has seen a disturbing uptick in hate crimes, especially those directed against Jewish people and institutions. From neo-Nazis in Charlottesville to the tragic mass murder at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue, anti-Semitism seems to have found a deadly new voice in America. What drives anti-Semitism today, and how is it different from other kinds of prejudice and hate? Drs. Susan Fiske (Princeton) and Peter Glick (Lawrence U.) join us to talk about how their Stereotype Content Model helps explain the rise of modern anti-Semitism in America and what events like the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide share in common. © Copyright Original Music "Royal Flush Gang" by Composer Joel Goodman; Published by Oovra Music See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How do we move out of a political discourse of blame and shame into one that acknowledges past and present harm done and the need to repair it? In this episode, renowned psychoanalyst, Dr. Jessica Benjamin, discusses the psychological barriers to the struggle for a lawful world based on recognizing our common humanity and universal needs. When basic human needs for recognition are denied, the resulting trauma creates a fragmented, black-and-white world of “doer and done to,” in which responsibility for harm done is denied. The myth that both sides are equally responsible for "doing to the other" then serves and obscures the perpetuation of the systemic asymmetry of racism, injustice, inequality, and economic exploitation. Deprived of recognition for their needs, many turn to exalting authority and stigmatizing weakness, affirming a predatory worldview in which only one can survive at the expense of the other. Dr. Benjamin talks to us about her useful idea of creating a third space in which we are able to to acknowledge and repair such harm, while taking account of the powerful forces of fear and resentment that have prevented recognition.© Copyright Original Music "Royal Flush Gang" by Composer Joel Goodman; Published by Oovra Music See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When is a wall not just a wall? When it’s Donald Trump’s Wall. Dr. Thomas Singer, a Jungian psychoanalyst, argues that the Wall needs to be recognized for the symbol it has become in the minds of Trump’s most ardent supporters and harshest critics. Reason, facts, and well-argued positions don’t matter when they come up against the powerful, visceral emotions of a symbol. Tom reminds us that symbols motivate, provoke, and drive us. That’s what Trump has effectively done with his wall. Tom believes that the power of symbols is what lurked behind the longest government shutdown in US history and thus deserves our attention.© Copyright Original Music "Royal Flush Gang" by Composer Joel Goodman Published by Oovra Music See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What’s the difference between a lie and a delusional falsehood? It’s a matter of perspective—especially when you’re talking about Donald Trump. In this episode of Mind of State, we are joined by Dr. Michael Tansey, a psychoanalyst with a self-proclaimed obsession for Donald Trump. (How else can you explain starting every day by reading Trump’s tweets?) Michael helps us better understand the nature of lying, something we all do to some degree, and why Trump’s lies are so very different, even dangerous. With shout-outs to Oculus Rift and Wilt Chamberlin.© Copyright Original Music "Royal Flush Gang" by Composer Joel Goodman Published by Oovra Music See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Humans are uniquely aware of our own mortality. Someday, hopefully later rather than sooner, each of us is going to die. For our guest, Dr. Sheldon Solomon, recognition of our own death is the most important idea in human history. Sheldon argues, and he has the proof to back it up, that the awareness of our own death (“mortality salience,” is his fancy term for it) influences all aspects of our lives, from religion, to art, to—and this where it gets really interesting for us—our politics. Sheldon calls it “Terror Management Theory,” and he explains that this is what sits at the core of Donald Trump’s appeal. © Copyright Original Music "Royal Flush Gang" by Composer Joel Goodman Published by Oovra Music See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mind of State is a weekly podcast where politics and psychology meet. Each episode features lively commentary on current events, policymakers, and the body politic, and how we have arrived at this moment, as observed through both a political and psychological lens. We explore how "mind" impacts "state" — and vice versa. Tune in, as co-hosts Betty Teng, a NYC psychoanalyst and trauma therapist, and Michael Epstein, an award-winning filmmaker, engage in nuanced conversation with distinguished experts from the worlds of politics and psychology, as well as others from related fields who have studied the complex dynamics between individual/group psychology and political processes. Mind of State is produced and recorded out of Hangar Studios in NYC, by Michael Epstein, Jonathan Kopp, Thomas Singer and Betty Teng. New episodes released Tuesdays. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, Soundcloud and RSS.Copyright Original Music "Royal Flush Gang" by Composer Joel Goodman Published by Oovra Music See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.