12/06/2026
Dr. Nancy van den Berg-Cook: Has the Cultural Puer Aeternus Turned Violent? Collective Shadows in an Age of Polarisation
Saturday 2tth June 2026, 4pm – 6pm UK time/ 11am - 1pm ET
(£15/$20)
LIVE on ZOOM!
https://www.cambridgejungiancircle.com/events-2025-26
In recent years, political polarisation, conspiracy movements, and outbreaks of collective violence have raised profound questions about the psychological forces shaping contemporary culture. Through a Jungian lens, these phenomena can be understood not merely as political events, but as expressions of powerful archetypal dynamics operating within the collective psyche.
In this thought-provoking presentation, Jungian Analyst and Clinical Psychologist Nancy van den Berg-Cook explores the deep cultural split between the puer aeternus (the eternal youth) and the senex (the father, elder, and bearer of authority), tracing this tension from ancient myth to the present day.
Beginning with the Greek myth of Cronus and Zeus, Nancy follows the evolution of this archetypal conflict through twentieth-century fascism, popular culture, and contemporary political movements, examining how unresolved psychological wounds can become embodied in collective narratives and social movements.
Drawing on mythology, film, cultural symbolism, and Jungian theory, this talk considers how the Western imagination has increasingly identified with the youthful rebel while rejecting images of authority, structure, and the paternal principle. As the split between these archetypal forces widens, the darker expressions of the puer and Trickster archetypes can emerge, contributing to social fragmentation, fanaticism, and destructive forms of collective identification.
Particular attention will be given to the psychological dynamics underlying Trump-style nationalism and the events surrounding the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021. Rather than offering a political critique however, the presentation seeks to understand the deeper psychological needs, wounds, and archetypal patterns that give rise to such movements. By bringing these unconscious dynamics into awareness, we may begin to understand not only the forces driving contemporary extremism, but also the possibilities for healing and integration.
This talk is informed by the pioneering work of Jungian analyst Luigi Zoja, particularly his influential study The Father: Historical, Psychological and Cultural Perspectives, and invites reflection on how the creative reconciliation of the puer and senex may offer a path beyond today's cultural impasse.
Please note: While the presentation examines right-wing nationalist movements in the United States, it does not seek to champion opposing political ideologies. Rather, it approaches political extremism as a psychological phenomenon, recognising that destructive archetypal dynamics can manifest across the political spectrum.
About the Speaker
Nancy is a Clinical Psychologist, Jungian Psychoanalyst, lecturer, educator, and international speaker with more than three decades of experience working at the intersection of psychology, personal transformation, and human development. Based in the Netherlands, she maintains a private practice in Amsterdam and Zeist, while teaching and lecturing internationally. She is a faculty member and lecturer at the International School of Analytical Psychology (ISAP) in Zurich, one of the world's leading centres for Jungian training and education, and has also taught within the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Pacifica Graduate Institute.
What makes Nancy's perspective particularly unique is the path she took to analytical psychology. Before becoming a Jungian analyst, she enjoyed a distinguished career in biomedical research, earning a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and working as a research scientist in physiology and metabolism. Drawn by a lifelong fascination with the psyche and the transformative power of dreams, she embarked on a profound vocational change, eventually qualifying as a Jungian Analyst and later earning a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
Today, Nancy is widely respected for her ability to bring Jung's ideas vividly to life, translating complex psychological concepts into practical and meaningful insights. Her work explores dreams, fairy tales, archetypes, trauma, cultural complexes, and the profound relationship between psyche and soma. She is especially known for her innovative efforts to build bridges between Jungian psychology, neuroscience, physiology, and biochemistry.
To learn more about Nancy and her work, including her website and social media channels, please visit: https://nancycookphd.com and https://linktr.ee/bergcook
