Plenary Address: Dr. Robert Lifton: “Owning Reality – Reflections on Cultism & Zealotry” Speakers: Dr. Robert Jay Lifton This address connects Dr. Robert
Jay Lifton’s past work on the
psychology of zealotry with current
observations on mental predators
who claim to own reality. It draws
upon examples from Chinese
thought reform, the Aum Shinrikyō
cult, Nazi genocide, and the solipsistic reality of
Donald Trump. An alternative is the collective
expression of a more open and resilient “protean
self,” which can enable us to respond to these threats
to the human future. | 
