Series: Connections and Conversation
Connections and Conversation is a free monthly Zoom meeting, cultivating creativity and freedom of thought and feeling. We invite you to engage with our presenters and community as they share their interests and passions in conversation on current topics in psychoanalysis.
This free event that alternates times. The meeting often begins with a 45 minute presentation followed by 45 minutes of conversation. When an event is recorded you can access the recording at the vault.
This series is open to all.
In case of questions please contact: [email protected]
Why and how modern society is constructing persons with injured selves
January 10, 2026 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am PST
The primary task of any society is to construct persons who can help the society survive and flourish. Different societies have different needs and construct persons in different ways. Crucial to this process of construction is a society’s formulation of ideals for how to be the best kind of person and live the best kind of life. In this talk I will describe the ideals of modern economic society and the social practices it has generated to create persons according to these ideals. I will then use Kohut’s understanding of the self and intersubjectivity theory to show why and how modern society is creating persons with highly developed rational, pragmatic egos but with deeply injured selves. I will also show how many of the ills of modern society, including homelessness, the addictions, prejudices, and tendencies to seek authoritarian leaders can be explained by the failure of society to tend to the selfobject needs of its subjects.
Presenter
John Riker
For the past three decades, John Riker has been devoted to exploring the relation of psychoanalysis, especially Kohutian self psychology, to ethics and philosophical anthropology. He has written five books on this intersection with the latest being Kohut’s Self Psychology for a Fractured World: New Ways to Understand the Self and Human Community. John has been a professor of philosophy at Colorado College for over half a century and been named Professor of the Year a record four times, and advisor of the year a record three times. He was the initial recipient of the award Colorado College established to recognize someone who most promotes diversity and inclusion on campus. He was the Kohut Distinguished Professor at the University of Chicago in 2003. He and his spouse, Marcia Dobson, established The Dobson/Riker Professorship for Psychoanalysis, Self, and Creativity at Colorado College, a unique professorship in American academia. He has been appointed co-Editor-in-Chief of Psychoanalysis, Self, and Context, along with George Hagman and Marcia Dobson.
Series: Connections and Conversation
Connections and Conversation is a free monthly Zoom meeting, cultivating creativity and freedom of thought and feeling. We invite you to engage with our presenters and community as they share their interests and passions in conversation on current topics in psychoanalysis.
This free event that alternates times. The meeting often begins with a 45 minute presentation followed by 45 minutes of conversation. When an event is recorded you can access the recording at the vault.
This series is open to all.
In case of questions please contact: [email protected]
Why and how modern society is constructing persons with injured selves
January 10, 2026 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am PST
The primary task of any society is to construct persons who can help the society survive and flourish. Different societies have different needs and construct persons in different ways. Crucial to this process of construction is a society’s formulation of ideals for how to be the best kind of person and live the best kind of life. In this talk I will describe the ideals of modern economic society and the social practices it has generated to create persons according to these ideals. I will then use Kohut’s understanding of the self and intersubjectivity theory to show why and how modern society is creating persons with highly developed rational, pragmatic egos but with deeply injured selves. I will also show how many of the ills of modern society, including homelessness, the addictions, prejudices, and tendencies to seek authoritarian leaders can be explained by the failure of society to tend to the selfobject needs of its subjects.
Presenter
John Riker
For the past three decades, John Riker has been devoted to exploring the relation of psychoanalysis, especially Kohutian self psychology, to ethics and philosophical anthropology. He has written five books on this intersection with the latest being Kohut’s Self Psychology for a Fractured World: New Ways to Understand the Self and Human Community. John has been a professor of philosophy at Colorado College for over half a century and been named Professor of the Year a record four times, and advisor of the year a record three times. He was the initial recipient of the award Colorado College established to recognize someone who most promotes diversity and inclusion on campus. He was the Kohut Distinguished Professor at the University of Chicago in 2003. He and his spouse, Marcia Dobson, established The Dobson/Riker Professorship for Psychoanalysis, Self, and Creativity at Colorado College, a unique professorship in American academia. He has been appointed co-Editor-in-Chief of Psychoanalysis, Self, and Context, along with George Hagman and Marcia Dobson.
Presentation Vault
Watch recordings and download papers and slides from past Connections and Conversations and Decentralized Learning Experiences.
