Psychohistory, the science of historical motivations, combines the insights of psychotherapy with the research methodology of the social sciences to understand the emotional origin of the social and political behavior of groups and nations, past and present. The center of psychohistorical research around the globe is The Association for Psychohistory, headquartered in New York City, is chartered by the State of New York as a not-for-profit educational corporation, the Association for Psychohistory, Inc., and for more than 50 years has published The Journal of Psychohistory, various books by The Psychohistory Press, and has had a long affiliation with the International Psychohistorical Association, which holds annual conventions.
This website contains extensive material reproduced from The Journal of Psychohistory and from deMause’s books: Foundations of Psychohistory, Reagan’s America, The Emotional Life of Nations and The Origins of War in Child Abuse. It also contains links to the International Psychohistorical Association as well as other websites.
Lloyd deMause, founder of The Journal of Psychohistory and first president of the International Psychohistorical Association was born in Detroit, Michigan on September 19, 1931. He graduated from Columbia College and did his post-graduate training in political science at Columbia University and in psychoanalysis at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis. He taught psychohistory at the City University of New York and the New York Center for Psychoanalytic Training, is a member of the Society for Psychoanalytic Training, and lectured widely in Europe and America. He passed away on April 23rd 2020.
DeMause published over 80 scholarly articles in such periodicals as The Nation, Psychology Today, The Guardian, The Journal of Psychoanalytic Anthropology, The Journal of Psychohistory, Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity, Psyche, Kindheit, Texte zur Kunst, Psychologie, Psychologos: International Review of Psychology, Psychoanalytic Beacon and Psychologie Heute. He was on the editorial board of Familiendynamik, The International Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Medicine and Mentalities/Mentalites. His books include The History of Childhood, A Bibliography of Psychohistory, The New Psychohistory, Jimmy Carter and American Fantasy, Foundations of Psychohistory, Reagan’s America, The Emotional Life of Nations, and The Origins of War in Child Abuse. His work has been translated into more than nine languages.
He had three children: Neil, Jennifer and Jonathan — and three grandchildren — Jordan, Milo and Elliott. His wife, Susan Hein, is now the Publisher and Administrator for The Journal of Psychohistory.
A brief YouTube video of Lloyd deMause explaining the causes of war:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDkjZufERag
| “Lloyd deMause is probably the first scholar who has made a thorough study of the history of childhood without glossing over the facts…” -Alice Miller | “Lloyd deMause is the scholarly godparent of the recovery movement…” –Atlantic“The richest decoding of the impulses of our age.” –The Nation |
| “Brilliant…bold…challenging…heavily documented” –New York Review of Books | “An extraordinary book…it would be a tragedy if it were confined to the classroom” –Boston Globe |
| “Neither history nor psychiatry can ever be the same again. A turning point in the integration of the social sciences.” -Reuben Fine, Ph.D. |
“A pioneering effort.” –Psychoanalytic Quarterly“A very important book.” -B.B.C. |
| “A masterpiece.” -Charles Socarides, M.D. | “Confronting, ambitious, provocative and comprehensive” –The Historian |
| “An endlessly daring innovator…” –Fortune | “A remarkable piece of scholarly literature.” –Kindheit |
| “A pioneering contribution…signals the birth of a new and exciting field.” –Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic |
“Authoritative, original…highly recommended.” –The Historian |
| “Just magnificent–an extremely important contribution to the knowledge of man.” -Erich Fromm |
“I am tremendously impressed with your genuine approach.” -Erik Erikson |