On Edge: The Psychological Impact Of An Unsettled World
Whether we view recent sociopolitical, technological, scientific, and economic developments as progress or as threats—and whether we believe that global climate change is driven by human activity or part of a natural cycle—we are living in a time defined by rapid and profound transformation. But what impact is this sweeping change having on our psychological well-being, both individually and collectively? In conversation with LEONARD BENARDO, senior vice president of the Open Society Foundations, historian of psychology HANNAH ZEAVIN and psychiatrist and psychoanalyst VICTOR BLÜML will examine the current psychological health of our societies. Are we adapting to an unsettled world, or are we reaching a collective breaking point?
VICTOR BLÜML is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (Vienna Psychoanalytic Society; International Psychoanalytical Association). He studied medicine and philosophy in Vienna and Paris, and is currently an associate professor in the Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy at the Medical University of Vienna, where he is head of the outpatient clinic, with a focus on patients with personality disorders. His main research interests include personality structure, transference-focused psychotherapy, and conceptual issues of psychoanalysis.
HANNAH ZEAVIN is a scholar, writer, and editor whose work centers on the history of human sciences, technology, and media. She is an assistant professor of history at UC Berkeley, and author of the award-winning books The Distance Cure: A History of Teletherapy (MIT Press, 2021) and Mother Media: Hot and Cool Parenting in the 20th Century (MIT Press, 2025). In 2021, Zeavin co-founded the Psychosocial Foundation and is the founding editor of Parapraxis, a new magazine for psychoanalysis.
VICTOR BLÜML is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (Vienna Psychoanalytic Society; International Psychoanalytical Association). He studied medicine and philosophy in Vienna and Paris, and is currently an associate professor in the Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy at the Medical University of Vienna, where he is head of the outpatient clinic, with a focus on patients with personality disorders. His main research interests include personality structure, transference-focused psychotherapy, and conceptual issues of psychoanalysis.
HANNAH ZEAVIN is a scholar, writer, and editor whose work centers on the history of human sciences, technology, and media. She is an assistant professor of history at UC Berkeley, and author of the award-winning books The Distance Cure: A History of Teletherapy (MIT Press, 2021) and Mother Media: Hot and Cool Parenting in the 20th Century (MIT Press, 2025). In 2021, Zeavin co-founded the Psychosocial Foundation and is the founding editor of Parapraxis, a new magazine for psychoanalysis.
