Edward Shapiro, MD, discussed his new book Finding a Place to Stand: Developing Self-Reflective Institutions, Leaders and Citizens (Phoenix Publishing House, 2020) with his colleague, Jonathan Kolb, MD. The book draws on psychodynamic systems thinking to offer a new understanding of the journey from being an individual to joining society as a citizen. With detailed stories, the steps – and the conscious and unconscious linkages – from being a family member, to entering outside groups, to taking up and making sense of institutional roles, illuminate the process of claiming the citizen role. With the help of leaders who recognise and utilise the dynamics of social systems, there may be hope for us as citizens to use our institutional experiences to discover a place to stand.

Dr. Shapiro is a graduate of the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute and a Training and Supervising Analyst. He is a Founding Member of the Psychoanalytic Society and Institute of the Berkshires. He was the Medical Director/CEO of the Austen Riggs Center from 1991 – 2011. A board certified psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, family researcher, and organizational consultant, he is also Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine and Principal of the Boswell Group. This conversation was recorded in the BPSI library on June 26, 2020.

Click here to watch other interviews in the Meet the Author, The Voice of Experience, and Kravitz Award series.