Some Reactions of Patients in Psychotherapy to the Death of the President

The following observations are based on individual psychotherapy sessions held with eight female patients, shortly after die tragic death of President John F. Kennedy. These eight women, while in therapy for a wide variety of reasons (i.e., compulsive and phobic symptoms, marital difficulties, psychosomatic complaints, etc.), could however, be described as a rather homogenous group in many respects. They might all be considered “good” neurotic patients; being between thirty to forty-five years of age, middle to upper-middle class, above average in intelligence, motivated, well infact, introspective individuals. All were liberal Democrats and had voted for John Fitzgerald Kennedy. In addition, each had lost one or both parents (in six cases, the father); and unresolved hostility and ambivalence toward the deceased parent(s), figured importantly in their respective therapies.

Despite the variety of their presenting problems, and different basic personality structures, the emotional reactions of these eight patients to the events of November 22nd were in certain respects so strikingly uniform, that an analysis of possible common psychodynamic factors seemed warranted. It was also felt that the response of these patients to the assassination may have differed only in degree (if indeed at all) from that of similar non-patient groups. The profound feelings of grief and even depression, and the copious tears displayed by these patients, both in and out of their therapy sessions for example, did not seem especially pathological, in view of the fact that similar outpourings of grief were reported throughout large segments of the “normal” population. Except for the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt some 20 years earlier, probably no other event in recent political history had so deeply and personally engaged the sentiments of the American public. Considering this, it was felt that an understanding of patient reactions to the tragedy might further our knowledge of “everyday” psych