Shrinking the News

Coline Covington is a Training Analyst of the Society of Analytical Psychology and the British Psychotherapy Foundation. She is a member of International Dialogue Initiative (IDI), a group formed by Professor Vamik Volkan, Lord Alderdice, and Dr Robi Friedman to apply psychoanalytic concepts in understanding political conflict. Her publications include 'Terrorism and War: Unconscious Dynamics of Political Violence' and 'Sabina Spielrein: Forgotten Pioneer of Psychoanalysis'. She is a regular columnist for 'The Week' online.

'The fascinating deeper truths behind the current affairs "truth".'- Oliver James, author of Love Bombing'Coline Covington's columns for The Week display that rare combination editors are always looking for - they're both popular and prescient. Time after time she's had something fresh to say about events and people in the news and, of course, she's opened readers' eyes to the power of psychoanalysis.'- Nigel Horne, Editor, The Week online and former editor of the Telegraph magazine'Shrinking The News provides a much-needed novel perspective on everyday affairs around the globe. Using her sharp analysis and deep perception of the psyche, Coline Covington manages to make sense of world events that often seem beyond comprehension to many observers. Through her clear and accessible writing, the shroud of superficiality is lifted, leaving the reader enriched with valuable insight into the machinations of today's most influential affairs.'- Seth Freedman, Guardian journalist and author of Binge Trading'With a masterful lightness of touch, she addresses deep psychoanalytic themes through the lens of current events. This book is a treat and provides an excellent showcase for what psychoanalysis has to offer beyond the couch.'- Professor Alessandra Lemma, Director, Psychological Therapies Development Unit, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust'One cannot read the news without frequently wondering, "What on earth drives people to act like this?" Coline Covington is the indispensable guide. With a seasoned eye and wry expertise, she teases out the psychological factors that help explain what is going on behind the news.'- Dr Armand D'Angour, Fellow and Tutor in Classics, Jesus College, Oxford'Coline Covington's postings are always riveting, often ironic, and sometimes even oximoronic. Without fail, they clear the fog in our understanding of current events. But, more importantly, the psychoanalytic insights that she offers provide us with the tools to make the world a better place. This is an important book - beyond the pleasure of reading.'- Raphael Kaplinsky, Professor of International Development, The Open University'Coline Covington shows a real talent in throwing a psychoanalytic light on everyday news events. An eye-opener, fun, informative, enriching.- Professor Anton Obholzer, Tavistock Centre, London, and INSEAD Global Leadership Centre, Paris

• Preface , Why Palin appeals to shell-shocked Americans , The danger of a banker with a power complex , Frieze Art Fair: artistic or autistic? , The new feminism: how Michelle Obama is changing the rules , For glamour models, sex is in the eye of the camera , Financial failure is simply the final, fatal blow , Don’t bank on the buffalo: why we need to adapt or die , How can an Oxbridge Bishop deny the Holocaust? , Roman Abramovich and Chelsea: it’s all dad’s fault , Why Tzipi Livni craved the danger of a spy’s double life , Why Josef Fritzl thought rape was a “lovely idea” , How Jade Goody became the new Princess Diana , Nicholas Hughes was killed by Sylvia Plath, his envious mother , Inside this head: how paranoia turned Phil Spector into a killer , Why Britain’s Got Talent’s Susan Boyle makes people weep , Torturing terrorists is bad for your health , The psychological trauma behind surrogate pregnancies , Farrah Fawcett in denial as she films cancer battle , Why swine flu and torture provoke witch hunts , Ireland needs courage to change cycle of abuse , Why Americans can’t handle John Ensign’s affair , Pygmalion complex of the tennis parents who can never be satisfied , Miscavige’s reign of terror over Scientology , Narcissistic obsessions killed the Man in the Mirror , Antichrist director Lars von Trier plays god to create a new morality , Madness of wanting to be normal: Nancy Garrido’s make-believe family , What Hitler and Aids have in common , Why the world is scared of hermaphrodites , The fear behind Japan’s flourishing rent-a-friend business , What were Geimer and Shields’ mothers thinking? , Women paedophiles come out of hiding , The new trend in beards raises awkward questions , Radovan Karadži?: all the signs of a psychopath , You’re the one! Dangers of internet dating , Is Khmer Rouge jailer Duch just a nobody? , Why some women bosses turn into bullies , What deniers of climate change are really denying , Jessica Davies’ heady cocktail of sex and pain , Edlington brothers: why boredom turns to torture , Pope John Paul II: saint or closet masochist? , Sports stars lose out to philanthropists as today’s heroes , Tokyo: when a “splitter-upper” goes too far , The biggest bully is inside Gordon Brown’s head , Less clever men are more likely to cheat. Really? , Why Jon Venables wants to reveal his true identity , Chatroulette and perverts who want to attack mother , The spread of rape spells madness in the Congo , None of the party leaders is offering us charisma , TV’s virgin auctions: who pays the highest price? , Derrick Bird: mentality of a suicide bomber , Congress vs. Hayward: how it became a witch hunt , Aimee Sword: the hate that turned to incestuous love , Joanne Lee suicide pact: the comfort of strangers , The guilt that binds Ed and David Miliband together , Does Julian Assange suffer from being a mama’s boy? , Why the world will weep for Nelson Mandela , Criado-Perez scare: what turns men into misogynist bullies? , Ed Miliband and the problems of being Ralph’s heir apparent