A year ago an invitation to present a paper arrives from the 2015 ANZAP Conference Committee almost at the same time as an email advising the reading of Freud’s Civilization and its Discontents in New York in early January 2015 – as a “response to the beheadings, school shootings and other violence that have defined 2014”. Violence continues in the world and we are not immune down-under.
At the same time posters in Sydney train stations proclaim “Let it Go” tattooed over clenched fists emerging from a bouquet of roses and ask “is one punch worth it?” promoted by Stepbackthink.org. Stepbackthink is a not for profit organisation with the aim of “driving cultural change that ends social violence in Australia.” Questions arise…
What are the origins of the metaphor the king hit and the coward’s punch? Can we “let it go” and what is it specifically that we have to let go of, one punch or is it something more complicated requiring a deeper understanding? What role do we have as psychotherapists practicing the art and science of psychotherapy in driving and supporting cultural change to end social violence? This paper explores these questions in response to the Conference Committee’s invitation.