Pull up a seat—and maybe a plastic cup—because Uncle Sam is back on the couch, Old Crow Bourbon in hand. Not the fancy small-batch bottle… the gallon jug that once fueled the likes of President Ulysses S. Grant and Mark Twain, courtesy of Dr. James Crow’s 19th-century chemistry wizardry.

David and Rob blend history, psychology, and bourbon-soaked banter to dissect America’s collective unconscious, borrowing from Carl Jung’s big ideas: archetypes, the shadow, and the midlife transition. We trace the U.S. from rebellious young upstart (with a little help from Lafayette, France’s creepiest-but-most-useful friend), to reluctant World War hero, to the aging protagonist in need of a rewrite—picture Superman III’s brooding bar scene with Old Crow in the glass.

The question: can America gracefully step out of the hero archetype and into the wise mentor role? Or are we clinging to the cape until we turn into a parody of ourselves? Along the way, we take hard looks at the national “shadow”—slavery, inequality, and the gap between our founding ideals and lived reality—and call out our habit of slapping an Instagram filter over the whole thing.

This episode isn’t therapy, but it is an 80-proof reflection on what it means to be authentically American: proud but self-aware, fierce but adaptable, able to laugh at our own glorious clusterf*** of a national identity while still aiming for something better.

So pour a drink, settle in, and join us as we wrestle with the big question: what does Uncle Sam want to be when he grows up?

"Got Thoughts? Outrage? A Diagnosis of Your Own? Send us a text"

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Shrink The Nation is where America lies on the couch — and we pour the bourbon.
Hosted by board-certified psychiatrists and mental health pros with backgrounds in military, media, and systems thinking, we break down the psychology behind politics, culture, and public dysfunction.
Smart. Funny. Clinically sharp. Slightly buzzed.

Subscribe, rate, and share if you’re part of the exhausted middle looking for sanity in the noise.

Send us your questions (or your defense mechanisms): socials@shrinkthenation.com
Follow us everywhere: @shrinkthenation on X, Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky

Shrink The Nation — On the Couch With America.

Shrink the Nation drags America onto the therapist’s couch for a bourbon-fueled, no-bullshit exploration of national identity, collective anxiety, and the messiness of being the world’s aging hero.

If the United States walked into therapy—boasting “I’m the greatest country on earth, but I feel divided and lost”—what would its psychological profile look like? The docs break down America’s diffuse identity disorder, hero complex, and midlife crisis, pulling zero punches and pouring plenty of Cooper’s Craft (and Tin Cup, with a drive-by from Dunkin’ Donuts).

Drawing on Carl Jung’s hero archetype, the crew unpacks why America is stuck between wanting to be “king of the hill” and not wanting to keep paying the price. Can a country have a personality disorder? Is our craving for unity just projection on a national scale? And what happens when the world’s quarterback refuses to hang up his jersey?

Pop culture gets its due, from Brett Favre and Tom Brady’s refusal to retire (seriously, leave Tom alone) to MrBeast as the new American idol. Plus, there’s advice for Uncle Sam (“Get a Corvette and some minoxidil!”), loving ridicule of our tens of listeners, and an honest prescription for national healing—embrace the messiness, say what you want out loud, and maybe—just maybe—settle for being the wise old man instead of the eternally jacked hero.

Referenced in this episode:

• Carl Jung’s “hero archetype” and shadow
• Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey
• Brett Favre, Tom Brady, and the struggle to retire
• MrBeast and the new American idol
• “Watchmen” (the movie and the comic)
• Cooper’s Craft Bourbon, Tin Cup, and Dunkin’ Donuts
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for national psychology

Best soundbites:

• “If America were a patient, it would be in a midlife crisis—driving a Corvette, but haunted by its past.”
• “You can’t just give up your throne and still be hailed as king.”
• “Embrace the messiness. Take three deep breaths and say, I’m a glorious clusterfuck—and that’s okay.”

Whether you’re a cynical patriot, a reluctant optimist, or just here for bourbon-fueled wisdom, this episode is your group therapy for the American mind.

"Got Thoughts? Outrage? A Diagnosis of Your Own? Send us a text"

Support the show

Shrink The Nation is where America lies on the couch — and we pour the bourbon.
Hosted by board-certified psychiatrists and mental health pros with backgrounds in military, media, and systems thinking, we break down the psychology behind politics, culture, and public dysfunction.
Smart. Funny. Clinically sharp. Slightly buzzed.

Subscribe, rate, and share if you’re part of the exhausted middle looking for sanity in the noise.

Send us your questions (or your defense mechanisms): socials@shrinkthenation.com
Follow us everywhere: @shrinkthenation on X, Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky

Shrink The Nation — On the Couch With America.

Pull up a seat on the couch—bourbon not required but highly recommended—as Shrink the Nation tackles the psychological circus of presidential expectations. Why do Americans keep expecting their presidents to be Marvel superheroes (or at least build us flying cars)? Why does disappointment so often turn to scapegoating and hysteria? And what does infantile defense have to do with politics, family fights, or your group chat?

Dr. David, Rob, Keith, and Amit dig into the deep end of projection—the classic Freudian defense that explains why we pin all our hopes, fears, and hot takes on whoever is in the White House. From Reagan in a flying car to JFK’s legendary “affairs,” the crew dissects how childhood fantasy morphs into adult cynicism (and, sometimes, just more bourbon).

We break down:

• Why political projection isn’t just about hope—it’s about primitive psychotic defense (thanks, Melanie Klein, and yes, we explain “paranoid-schizoid split” in plain English).
• How society keeps falling for the “hero or villain” trap, whether it’s Salem witch trials, cult logic, or 4D chess politicians.
• Scapegoating in American life: what Different Strokes’ “bicycle man” and family therapy have in common with cable news.
• How media and social media feed the hysteria—and why no president, not even with snacks and a cape, can fix your life for you.
• Why the prescription is more local action, more personal responsibility, and (yes) more snacks.

Pop Culture & Citations:

• Bedtime for Bonzo, Different Strokes (“the bicycle man”), JFK & Marilyn Monroe, Salem Witch Trials, Melanie Klein (paranoid-schizoid split), DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), “4D chess,” the “attention economy,” Army resilience training (“hunt the good stuff”).

You’ll laugh, maybe groan, and definitely leave with a smarter, more integrated take on politics, leadership, and why looking for “the good” (even in Congress) is the sanest move you can make.

"Got Thoughts? Outrage? A Diagnosis of Your Own? Send us a text"

Support the show

Shrink The Nation is where America lies on the couch — and we pour the bourbon.
Hosted by board-certified psychiatrists and mental health pros with backgrounds in military, media, and systems thinking, we break down the psychology behind politics, culture, and public dysfunction.
Smart. Funny. Clinically sharp. Slightly buzzed.

Subscribe, rate, and share if you’re part of the exhausted middle looking for sanity in the noise.

Send us your questions (or your defense mechanisms): socials@shrinkthenation.com
Follow us everywhere: @shrinkthenation on X, Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky

Shrink The Nation — On the Couch With America.