Robert Jay Lifton on Psychohistory, Psychoanalysis, and Social and Moral Activism

article

Juhani Ihanus

Abstract

This article examines Robert Jay Lifton’s position in the field of psychohistory, his complicated relationship with psychoanalysis, and his lifelong dedication to social and moral activism. Focusing on the Wellfleet Group as a formative institutional and intellectual context, the article situates Lifton alongside Erik H. Erikson and highlights the unique path that led him away from traditional psychoanalysis and toward an empirically based, ethically engaged approach to psychohistory.

Keywords:

activism, Bruce Mazlish, dislocation, Erik H. Erikson, Frederick Wyatt, Kai Erikson, Kenneth Keniston, Philip Rieff, psychoanalysis, psychoculture, psychohistory, Robert Coles, Robert Jay Lifton, The Triumph of the Therapeutic, Wellfleet Group

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About the author

Juhani Ihanus

Juhani Ihanus, PhD, is Associate Professor of Cultural Psychology at the University of Helsinki, and Associate Professor of the History of Science and Ideas at the University of Oulu. He is also an international member of the Psychohistory Forum who has published books and articles on psychohistory, cultural and clinical psychology, and the history of psychology. Dr. Ihanus may be reached at .

How to cite this article

Ihanus, J. (2026). Robert Jay Lifton on psychohistory, psychoanalysis, and social and moral activism. Clio’s Psyche, 33(2), 145-153.

https://doi.org/10.70763/3e016029eeb9a92852a656f33fbf1dc6