Scientific Program featuring Dwarakanath G. Rao, MD
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
at 9003 Weston Pkwy , Cary
Discovering Ideals and Identity: Culture as Character in the Consulting Room
Presented by Dwarakanath G. Rao, MD
Hybrid via Zoom or In-Person
*In-person attendance will be limited
Registration Fee: $50*
*Free admission and CE/CME credits for PCC members, LDC staff and board, full-time students with ID, and trainees in the Departments of Social Work, Psychology, Psychiatry, and Mental Health Counseling.
Tumultuous events have shaken our world in recent times. As one response, psychoanalysis has reached deeply into the social origins of one’s identity to understand the influence of the world on the individual. Yet, it is not clear how our conceptual and technical strategies should evolve. The paradoxical experience of the mind as individual and collective continues to inspire passionate and partisan debate. Using case examples, this presentation will enter this debate by exploring the traumatic origins of ideals and identity formation and how culture shapes and is shaped in the process. The effects of parental immigration, and generational pressures to conform and to individuate will be explored as they emerge in the work of analysis. Some differences between sociological observations and analytic concepts will be highlighted. Audience participation is encouraged.
About the Speaker
Dr. Dwarakanath Rao completed his medical training in Bengaluru, India and his residency and fellowship at the University of Virginia Medical School and at the University of Michigan Medical School. He is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and former President. Dr. Rao is President of the American Association for Psychoanalytic Education. He has written about the psychology of Indian classical music, the caste system, and on analytic perspectives of the Indian pantheon of gods. He has also written about the psychic Wolf in the consulting room and about the neglected affect state of envy. He has served as editorial reader and book reviewer for several analytic journals. He has been the recipient of “Teacher of the Year” several times in psychiatric residency programs and is a sought-after supervisor. Most recently, he presented a paper on an APsA panel entitled “Psychoanalysis of Culture: Culture as Character in the Consulting Room.” He practices in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
After this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the interplay between cultural psyche and individual psyche.
2. Apply the notion of traumatic origins of identity and ego-ideal formation in the clinical encounter.
3. Compare the effects of immigration and class on pressures to conform and to individuate.
This program is intended for psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, and other clinicians or interested academics who want to explore the traumatic origins of ideals and identity formation, and how culture shapes and is shaped in the process.
Confidentiality Statement: All case material will be carefully disguised. We ask that participants agree to hold all material presented with the utmost care, following ethical and professional guidelines.
Accommodation Statement: To request an accommodation for this program, please email Kayla Schilke, PCC Training and Education Program Manager, at least two weeks before the start date.
2. Ehrlich, R. (2020). [Review of the book The psychoanalytic ear and the sociological eye: Toward an American independent tradition, by Nancy J. Chodorow]. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 89, 645-659.
3. Shah, D. (2022). When racialized ghosts refuse to become ancestors: Tasting Loewald’s “blood of recognition” in racial melancholia and mixed-race identities. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 32, 584-597.
The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6518. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.
Social workers will receive a letter of attendance documenting 2 hours of continuing education. This certificate may not be acceptable verification in all states.
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 the American Psychoanalytic Association and Psychoanalytic Center of the Carolinas. 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 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s).™ Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
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. -Updated July 2021-
