Season 1

Politics & the Teenage Mind

New York Times bestseller Dr. Lisa Damour lends her expertise in child and adolescent psychology to discuss how current events impact the teenage mind. Join us as Lisa shares her wisdom about how to engage our teens on politics, immigration, race, #metoo — and yes, pornography. Full episode transcript here. © Copyright Original Music “Royal Flush …

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The Trauma of Syria

Veteran war correspondent Anne Barnard — Murrow Fellow at the Council on Foreign Affairs and NY Times Beirut Bureau Chief from 2012-2018 — discusses the complex trauma of Syria’s ongoing civil war, its impact on politics in Europe and the US, and the inability of the UN and other international institutions to deal with such …

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Anger & Racial Politics

University of Maryland professor Antoine Banks joins us to talk about how anger — specifically white anger — impacts everything from opinions on Obamacare to how black candidates are perceived and talked about. We also discuss how race and anger — on both side of the aisle — will impact the 2020 election. Full episode …

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The End of Truth?

What is truth in the post-modern world, where facts are in the eye of the beholder and partisans turn to their own tribes for reporting that reaffirms their polarized world views? Scotty McLennan, an ordained minister, lawyer, professor, and former Dean of Religious Life at Stanford University, joins us for a conversation about the quest …

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The Perilous Path to Asylum

What does our Statue of Liberty stand for, when we reject so many asylum seekers fleeing torture, war and persecution? We explore this vital topic with human rights psychologist Dr. Hawthorne “Hawk” Smith, Director of the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture (survivorsoftorture.org / @_PSOT). Full episode transcript here. © Copyright Original Music “Royal Flush …

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Trump On the Couch

Is Donald Trump mentally and emotionally unfit to execute the duties of President? Join us for a conversation about narcissism, misogyny, deception, racism, and more with Dr. Justin (“Justy”) Frank, a former clinical professor of psychiatry at GWU Medical Center with more than 40 years of experience in psychoanalysis. Justy is the best-selling author of Trump …

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Democracy & the Decline of Reason

Do facts matter when experts are dismissed as partisan propagandists or out-of-touch elitists? Political economist William Davies, author of Nervous States, joins us to discuss Trump, Brexit and the triumph of emotion over reason in modern politics. Full episode transcript here. © Copyright Original Music “Royal Flush Gang” by Composer Joel Goodman; Published by Oovra Music

Partisan Politics, Toxic Identities, Dangerous Divides

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. …

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Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Tweet (Bonus)

Peter Glick returns for a bonus episode to help us unpack and understand the week’s controversy surrounding Representative 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. Full episode transcript here. …

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