Mind and Human Interaction

Mind and Human Interaction was initiated in 1989 by Vamık Volkan, Director of the Center for the Study of Mind and Human Interaction of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. [See the profile of Dr. Volkan and the Center in the September, 1995, Clio’s Psyche.] The journal started as a newsletter to inform people of the research and activities of the Center, which focuses on the interaction of national or ethnic groups, especially those in conflict. The current editorial staff consists of Vamık Volkan (a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst); Maurice Apprey (a psychotherapist who trained in child analysis with Anna Freud and whose PhD is in “Human Science Research”), Co-editor; and the author (a political scientist with a master’s degree in international relations) who is Managing Editor.

Mind and Human Interaction’s primary topics are the psychodynamics of large groups, applied psychoanalysis and psychology, and political psychology. For the past two years each issue has had a focus, often fairly broad so that a range or spectrum of ideas can be presented. We try to put together articles that complement each other, illuminating a common thread, even though they may seem to be on very different topics. For example, the May, 1996, issue will feature a range of articles on cults and religious fundamentalism: psychoanalytic and psychobiological theories of cults, ecological psychology, a psychobiography of the leader of the Japanese cult responsible for the Tokyo subway gas attack, and a paper on Islamic fundamentalism. The following issue will cover youth, conflict, and change. The next issue after that will focus on transgenerational transmission of trauma. We also try to cover recent events. Past issues have included papers on the Oklahoma City bombing, the Waco standoff, Arab-Israeli relations, transformations in the former Soviet Union, and the war in Chechnya. Such a multifaceted and interdisciplinary approach is the only way that one can begin to understand the complex nature of human conflict and cooperation.

Mind and Human Interaction has an interdisciplinary approach, so anyone can contribute. The authors come from many different disciplines and parts of the world. Our editorial board has university faculty members from at least half-a-dozen fields, so there will most likely be someone who can effectively review almost any paper that comes in. We try to avoid papers that are too technical and filled with jargon or terms that are not widely understood.

The journal aims to be accessible to anyone, and the wide range of readers reflects some success in this: diplomats and government officials, members of international organizations, clinicians, businessmen, lawyers, and theologians, all from many different academic fields including anthropology, ethnic studies, history, political science, psychology, and sociology. There is no true organizational affiliation or base of membership, although it certainly is influenced by the work of the faculty and staff of the Center which has international associates in numerous countries, from Brazil to Russia. Our wide range of readers suggests that

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the journal is successful in furthering the understanding of the role of psychological mechanisms in many aspects of life, from the individual to the family to the larger and larger groups of community, state, nation, and culture. When we get letters from people in different disciplines supporting our work or complimenting a specific issue or article it means that we are making progress. It’s great to see an individual who formerly had a very rigid perception of another group begin to understand why, to develop some empathy for the “other,” and change over time.

We face the same challenges of any other publication: getting good articles, marketing and subscriptions, time and money. But we are hopeful and optimistic that applied psychoanalysis and psychology, as they relate to large group conflict and an interdisciplinary approach to such complex problems, will continue to gain acceptance in both domestic and international circles. Given the emotional content and the transgenerational transmission of traumas evident in so many conflicts such as in the Balkans, the Middle East, the former Soviet republics, and Northern Ireland, and elsewhere as well as in race and ethnic relations here in the US, it seems that it must be considered if there is any hope of lasting change and resolution of these destructive and deadly cycles.

Mind and Human Interaction is published quarterly. The subscription rate is $30 annually. Send both editorial and subscription inquiries to the author, Drawer A, Blue Ridge Hospital, Charlottesville, VA 22901, tel. (804) 982-3827, fax (804) 982-2524, e-mail .

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