Join the McMillan Institute for Jungian Studies and the Houston Psychoanalytic Society in an consideration of early and modern psychoanalytical conceptions of the phenomena of polyamory and kink, and explore the creation, evolution, and cultural symbolism of Wonder Woman - including why she remains such an iconic symbol of feminine strength in contemporary culture. 

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The movie Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, directed by Angela Robinson and released in 2017, is loosely based on the story of William Moulton Marston and his wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston. In the late 1920s, they were psychology professors and researchers at Harvard University and Radcliffe College, respectively, collaborating on the development of a lie detector test. After William hired student Olive Byrne as his research assistant, the three became involved in a polyamorous relationship and ended up living together for most of the rest of their lives. He brought kink into the threesome's relationship after visiting a lingerie shop in the 1940s, where he was introduced to fetish art-themed comic books and photos. Based on his experiences, he developed the comic book character of Wonder Woman, though the character's sexual imagery dissipated following his death in 1947. Feminist activist Gloria Steinem claimed Wonder Woman as the ultimate symbol of female empowerment, placing her on the cover of Ms. Magazine in 1972.

Wonder Woman remains popular to this day. Marston, Robinson, and Byrne embodied both creativity and eroticism with passion, and a sense of transgression. John Beebe and Danielle Knafo will explore these and other themes in the film, including polyamory and kink. We will consider how these phenomena were conceptualized in the early history of psychoanalysis, how they contributed to the character of Wonder Woman, and how they are viewed now, as well as explore the creation, evolution, and cultural symbolism of Wonder Woman - and why she remains such an iconic symbol of feminine strength in contemporary culture.

Instructors: John Beebe and Danielle Knafo
Sunday, September 13
4 - 6 pm CST
$50
2 CE Hours
Register here!

A popular lecturer in the Jungian world, John Beebe, MD, has spoken on topics related to the theory and practical applications of analytical psychology in fifteen countries around the world. Founding Editor of The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal (now Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche), Beebe was the first American co-editor of the London-based Journal of Analytical Psychology. Beebe is the author of numerous articles as well as the book, Integrity in Depth. With Virginia Apperson, he is co-author of The Presence of the Feminine in Film, and co-editor, with Ernst Falzeder, of The Question of Psychological Types: The Correspondence of C. G. Jung and Hans Schmid-Guisan.

Danielle Knafo, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, a prolific author, and a popular speaker. She is also a professor at LIU-Post in its clinical psychology doctoral program. Additionally, she is faculty and supervisor at NYU’s Postdoctoral Program for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. She writes and lectures on many subjects, including creativity, trauma, psychosis, sexuality and gender, and technology. She maintains a private practice in Manhattan and Great Neck, NY.