Clio’s Psyche Call for Papers:
The Psychology of a Frightened World:
Mapping Anger, Anxiety, Fear, and Paths Toward Healing

(Articles: 500-2,500 words, including a brief abstract, keywords, & author biography)
Due Date: December 31, 2025, for Winter 2026 Issue

Dear Colleagues,

Across the world, from Johannesburg to Jerusalem, New York to New Delhi, people are grappling with heightened emotional intensity. Anger, anxiety, and fear appear increasingly common, though they manifest differently across cultures and contexts. This call for papers invites contributors to reflect on these emotional currents, not only in terms of what provokes them but also how individuals and societies attempt to process, manage, and transform them.

Our first objective is to gather perspectives from around the globe: Are these emotional shifts primarily observed in certain regions, or are they part of a broader psychological pattern? Our second aim is to encourage thoughtful exploration of the personal and collective meaning of these emotions, from psychological mechanisms and cultural dynamics to healing processes and systemic responses.

Rather than presuming universal causes, we seek diverse perspectives on what contributors observe in their own contexts. Some may find rapid technological changes (including artificial intelligence), political polarization, economic uncertainty, ongoing wars and regional conflicts, terrorism and public safety concerns, emerging health crises, or lingering post-pandemic anxieties as central factors.  Others may identify different catalysts entirely or focus on community responses that foster resilience.

We particularly welcome perspectives from various global regions experiencing distinct challenges, such as:

• South Africa grappling with violent crime, economic collapse, and social breakdown.
• Eastern Europe living under the trauma of active warfare and mass displacement.
• Western Europe confronting terrorism, rising antisemitism, cultural conflicts, and political instability.
• The Middle East enduring devastating wars, sectarian violence, and humanitarian crises.
• And globally, the psychological impact of antisemitic terrorism, including the October 7^th massacre, targeted killings of Jewish individuals, and planned terrorist attacks worldwide.

Mental health practitioners report unprecedented demand for services, with many noting shifts in the types and intensity of concerns since 2020. We welcome perspectives from clinicians, researchers, and community observers on these evolving patterns. We encourage exploration of both challenges and solutions, examining not only what divides us but also what heals, connects, and builds hope across communities.

Suggested Research Areas

Observational & Descriptive:

• Emotional patterns you observe in your community and professional practice
• Regional variations in collective mood, anger, fear, anxiety, and optimism
• Post-pandemic shifts in mental health presentations, from depression to “mental fog” to mental breakdowns, and community concerns
• Impact of ongoing conflicts and wars on civilian populations and the global psyche
• Public safety anxieties and their psychological impact on daily life
• Rising health anxieties: increase of chronic diseases, childhood metabolic disorders, and autism diagnoses
• Social isolation and loneliness epidemics, with severe health consequences for aging populations and developmental impacts on children and adolescents
• Historical cycles of social optimism and pessimism in your society
• Cross-cultural differences in processing uncertainty and change

Psychodynamic Perspectives:

• Projection, scapegoating, and “othering” processes in social conflict
• Collective defense mechanisms during periods of uncertainty
• Group fantasies, shared delusions, and mass psychological phenomena
• The psychology of idealization and demonization between groups
• Group dynamics in polarized societies: us-versus-them mentalities
• Individual versus collective responsibility for social-emotional climate
• Unconscious fears and their manifestation in political and social behavior

Analytical & Theoretical:

• Psychological mechanisms behind collective emotional states
• The role of leadership styles in shaping public emotional climate
• Media influence on collective anxiety and hope
• Technology-related anxieties: AI, automation, and changing work landscapes
• The psychology of safety, security, and perceived versus actual risk
• Health anxiety and medical mistrust in an era of rising chronic illness
• Group contagion, mass hysteria, and collective behavioral patterns
• Intergenerational transmission of fears and resilience

Coping Mechanisms & Maladaptive Responses:

• Substance abuse, behavioral addictions, and escapism as responses to collective anxiety
• Social media addiction and information overload as anxiety management
• Gambling, shopping, and other addictive behaviors during uncertain times
• Healthy versus unhealthy coping strategies in stressed populations

Solutions & Healing:

• Successful interventions that reduce community tension and fear
• Conflict resolution approaches that address underlying psychological dynamics
• Post-pandemic community recovery and resilience-building strategies
• Practices that build social cohesion across divisions
• Role of ritual, ceremony, and shared meaning in community healing
• Individual and collective strategies for managing uncertainty
• Innovative mental health delivery models addressing increased demand

Applied & Practical:

• What calms versus agitates public emotions in your context
• Effective approaches by governments, NGOs, and individuals to reduce social anxiety
• Mental health system adaptations to unprecedented demand and changing presentations
• Adapting to technological change: managing AI-related fears and opportunities
• Building resilience in the face of security threats and public safety concerns
• Building bridges across ideological, ethnic, or political divides
• Creating environments that foster empathy and cooperation
• Lessons from conflict zones: trauma, resilience, and recovery

Additional Considerations:

• Book and film reviews (1,000 words) that illuminate these themes
• Case studies of successful community healing initiatives
• Comparative analyses across different cultural or political contexts
• Personal reflections integrated with professional insights

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Submission Guidelines:

Submit articles in Microsoft Word format (.docx or .doc) by November 15, 2025, preferably to Editorial Associate Nicole D’Andria at nicolemariedandria@yahoo.com and the Editor-in-chief at cliospsycheeditor@gmail.com.

Submit via form below:

Our scholarly peer-reviewed quarterly publishes thought-provoking, accessible articles that integrate psychological insight with examples from history, current events, and lived experience.  We welcome diverse psychological and psychohistorical approaches.  Articles should be clearly written for both professional and educated general audiences, minimizing technical jargon while maintaining analytical depth.

We particularly encourage contributions that offer both diagnostic insight and therapeutic vision, helping us understand not only what ails our communities but also how we might heal them.

Sincerely yours,

Paul

Paul H. Elovitz, PhD, Historian, Research Psychoanalyst, Online Professor, Editor-in-Chief, Clio’s Psyche, Founder and Director of the Psychohistory Forum, and author of The Making of Psychohistory: Origins, Controversies, and Pioneering Contributors (Routledge, 2018)

E-mail: cliospsycheeditor@gmail.com

Hélène

Hélène Opperman Lewis, MSc (ClinPsych), Guest Co-Editor of this special feature, retired counseling psychologist in South Africa, and author of Apartheid: Britain’s Bastard Child (2017).

Email: helene.lewis66@gmail.com

David

David Lotto, PhD, Guest Co-Editor of this special feature, psychoanalyst practicing in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, longstanding psychohistorian, and editor of the Journal of Psychohistory.

Email: dlotto@nycap.rr.com