In recent years we have all become conversant with ideas about the social unconscious having to do with the silent transmission of culture. These ideas have to do with the functioning of groups – groups embedded in groups. We are all subject to these forces, but here’s the thing. The social unconscious is not a very good business plan. Psychoanalysts are a feral bunch, and we have always needed someone who is grounded in reality. And so it is beyond fortunate that we have had Gail Kaplan to keep us on track. I think of her as a combination of the large information structure in the middle of Grand Central Station where travelers can find out the comings and goings of trains, and the friendly traffic cop who makes sure we don’t step in front of a speeding car, and that friend in college who was the only one knew how to balance a checkbook. And so, in honor of the 100th anniversary of Freud’s book The Ego and the Id, I designate Gail the Ego of the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California. Let all us Ids raise our glasses to Gail.
Saying Goodbye to Gail Kaplan, Our Executive Director
In recent years we have all become conversant with ideas about the social unconscious having to do with the silent transmission of culture. These ideas have to do with the functioning of groups – groups embedded in groups. We are all subject to these forces, but here’s the thing. The social unconscious is not a…
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