Presenter: James W. Anderson, PhD, is a former President of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Society and a faculty member of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute.  A Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University, Dr. Anderson specializes in psychobiography, the study, with a psychological perspective, of historical, political, literary, and artistic figures.

Talk Description: I’ve just completed a book entitled Psychobiography: In Search of the Inner Life (Oxford University Press, to be published in 2023).  One area I look at in the book is psychobiographers’ relationships with their subjects.  Sigmund Freud co-authored a psychobiography of Woodrow Wilson, whom Freud admitted he hated.  Writing about Gandhi, Erik Erikson started out idealizing him but got writer’s block when he encountered some of the Mahatma’s hypocritical and mean behaviors.  Margot Duxler knew and liked Anaïs Nin, but after the diarist’s death she learned that Nin had often lied to her and others.  Duxler wrote a psychobiography of Nin in large part to come to grips with her feelings about Nin.  As I wrote the book on psychobiography, I learned that the study of authors such as these added richness and depth to my understanding of a topic that is all important for those of us who are psychotherapists: countertransference.

After attending this session, participants should be able to:

1) appreciate how a study of psychobiography contributes to an understanding of the countertransference that a therapist has for a patient;

2) deal more effectively with patients for whom they have complicated feelings.

Admission is free. Continuing Education Credits are offered exclusively to Society members in all membership categories and those intending to join.

Physicians: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of American Psychoanalytic Association and the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this Live Activity for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category I Credit(s) ^TM . Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Psychologists: The Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute is approved as a continuing education sponsor for Psychologists by the State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The Institute designates this continuing education activity as earning 2.0 hours of Continuing Education Credit. CE Sponsor License #268.000091

Professional Counselors: The Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute is approved as a continuing education sponsor for Professional Counselors by the State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The Institute designates this continuing education activity as earning 2.0 hours of Continuing Education Credit. CE Sponsor License #197-000202.

Social Workers: The Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute is approved as a continuing education sponsor for Social Workers by the State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The Institute designates this continuing education activity as earning 2.0 hours of Continuing Education Credit. CE Sponsor License #159-000122.

Marriage and Family Therapists: The Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute is approved as a continuing education sponsor for Marriage and Family Therapists by the State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The Institute designates this continuing education activity as earning 2.0 hours of Continuing Education Credit. CE Sponsor License #168-000204.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION FOR ALL LEARNERS: None of the planners and presenters for this educational activity have relevant financial relationship(s)* to disclose with ineligible companies* whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. *Financial relationships are relevant if the educational content an individual can control is related to the business lines or products of the ineligible company.