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Live Webinar On-Demand

The Diagnosis is Capitalism: A Case of Mass Disillusionment

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Information

Recorded

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Identify four key elements of radical healing.

  • Describe the relationship between ideology and oppression.

  • Critique capitalist ideology’s valorization of individualism.

Educational Goal

The goal of the workshop is to provide attendees with a better understanding of the detrimental ways that capitalist ideology has impacted the theory and practice of psychology. It also examines the detrimental impacts of capitalism on well-being.

Description

We are living in troubling and turbulent times that clearly are impacting the well-being of many Americans. Corruption, cruelty, and other forms of injustice rooted in a toxic capitalist ideology are ever more in evidence. The consequence has given rise to what Naomi Klein describes as a state of shock in which the accustomed world-view of individuals is seriously disrupted. This leads to feelings of disorientation, insecurity, and anxiety. The adverse impact of such a state of shock was well-documented during the COVID pandemic, as was the role played by political and economic factors in increasing vulnerability. This course will propose the need for a model of radical healing that expands the understanding of dis-ease beyond the individualistic bias present in mainstream psychology. This alternative addresses suffering caused by unjust social, political, and economic conditions in order to promote individual and collective liberation. The experience of disillusionment following shock will be analyzed on a mass level by tracing its cause to capitalist ideology. The meaning and forms of ideology will be explained, followed by an explanation of how oppression has its roots in an unjust ideology. The course concludes with a review of the detrimental elements of capitalism and its relationship with fascism.

Target Audience

  • Addictionologist
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Frank Gruba-McCallister, Ph.D., taught and served in academic administration for thirty-three years in professional psychology schools. He had a particular interest in promoting the education of students in socially responsible practice and, as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Adler University, led a curriculum revision in service of this goal. He has taught courses, conducted workshops, and written on topics relating to critical psychology, the advancement of social justice, and the impact of economic and political factors on well-being. This includes the publication of two books on the subject with University Professors Press. He is presently co-editing a book on radical approaches to psychotherapy.