A Psychoanalytic Framework for Understanding Mass Shootings, with Jeff Taxman

Psychoanalysis & You

Gun violence is a common occurrence in America, and that makes us an outlier among developed nations.

There were 39 mass shootings in January 2023 alone, and firearms are the #1 cause of death for children in our country.

How can we use our training as psychoanalysts to recognize who might be at risk for committing mass gun violence and intervene long before they’re inclined to take action?

Dr. Jeffrey Taxman, MD, is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst with a private practice Mequon, Wisconsin, and serves on the clinical faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Psychiatry. He is also an internationally recognized expert in massive community trauma with a focus on first responders.

Dr. Taxman has supported police officers, soldiers, firefighters, medical personnel and mental health workers during crisis situations, and his work to develop a psychoanalytic framework for understanding and preventing mass gun violence in the US is presented and discussed nationally.

On this inaugural episode of Psychoanalysis and You, Dr. Taxman joins host Dr. Gail Saltz to explore the tremendous need for mental health care among first responders and explain how he uses psychoanalytic principles to help them do their jobs better in crisis situations.

Dr. Taxman walks us through the risk factors for committing a mass shooting and discusses the politicization of gun violence in America.

Listen in to understand why gun control alone won’t eliminate mass shootings and learn what we can do as mental health professionals to limit the pool of future shooters in our communities.

Topics Covered

· Why Dr. Taxman is driven to use his skills as a psychoanalyst during massive disasters

· How Dr. Taxman uses psychoanalytic principles to help first responders do their jobs better

· The tremendous need for mental health care among members of the military, first responders and police officers

· Using a psychoanalytic framework to understand and prevent mass gun violence

· The risk factors for committing a mass shooting and what we might do to limit the pool of future shooters

· Who is best qualified to screen children around their capacity for empathy

· How Dr. Taxman thinks about adolescents having access to guns during the high-risk period when they’re highly impulsive

· Why gun control alone won’t solve the problem of mass shootings in America

· The politicization of gun violence and Dr. Taxman’s challenge to Congress to consider the perspective of mental health professionals in addressing the issue

Connect with Dr. Taxman

Dr. Taxman at Mequon Clinical Associates

‘Gun Violence in America—A Tri-Vector Model’ in the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies

Connect with APsA

The American Psychoanalytic Association

APsA on...