Experts Profile
Kevin Volkan, EdD, PhD, MPH
Adjunct Faculty Member, PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology
About
Kevin Volkan EdD, PhD, MPH is a founding faculty member and professor of psychology at California State University Channel Islands, where he researches and teaches courses on severe psychopathology, culture-bound disorders, and personality theory. Dr. Volkan also currently serves on the Graduate Medical Education Faculty at Community Memorial Hospital Systems in Ventura, CA, where he teaches and conducts research with medical residents. He is also Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology at California Lutheran University where he teaches in the PsyD program and adjunct faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute where he teaches in the clinical psychology PhD program.
Dr. Volkan holds doctorates in clinical and quantitative psychology, is a graduate of the Harvard School of Public Health, and a former Harvard Medical School faculty member and administrator. Dr. Volkan has testified before the United States Senate on criminal, pathological, and dangerous fetishes. He is considered to be an expert on extreme psychopathologies and has served as a forensic consultant to numerous state and federal law enforcement agencies around the US. Dr. Volkan has made numerous appearances on television, radio, and podcasts as a psychological expert.
Dr. Volkan’s clinical training and experience is in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, applied behavior analysis, and embodied imaginal dreamwork, though he also has experience using a wide variety of other modalities in clinical practice. He has practised clinical psychology as a staff psychologist in a state hospital and in private practice. Dr. Volkan’s clients included a diverse population of people representing a wide variety of socioeconomic strata and psychological distress. He has worked with people suffering from drug addiction, neuroses, and personality disorders as well individuals suffering from autism, organic brain injury, and schizophrenia. Dr. Volkan was awarded the Sustained Superior Accomplishment Award from the State of California for his clinical work. His current practice is centered around psychodynamic embodied dreamwork.
Dr. Volkan is the author of Dancing Among the Maenads: The Psychology of Compulsive Drug Use, which is one of the few psychoanalytic works examining drug addiction. In 2022 he published Schizophrenia: Science, Psychoanalysis, and Culture, and How the Mind Works: Concepts and Cases in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy in 2023. His newest book Human Aggression, War, and Genocide will be published in March 2025.
Education
M.P.H. Public Health, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 6/98
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, Center for Psychological Studies, Albany, CA 8/91
Ed.D. Educational & Counseling Psychology Northern Illinois University,
DeKalb, IL 5/87
M.A. Psychology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA 5/84
B.A. Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 6/81
Expertise
Extreme Psychopathologies & Culture-Bound Syndromes
Psychodynamic & Object Relations Psychotherapy
Buddhist & Existential Psychology
Applied Statistical Analysis & Research Methodology
Publications
BOOKS
Volkan, V. D., & Volkan, K. (2025). Human Aggression and War. Pitchstone Publishing.
Volkan, K. & Volkan, V. D. (2023). How the mind works: Concepts and cases in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Oxfordshire, UK: Karnac. https://firingthemind.com/product/9781800131996/
Volkan, K. & Volkan, V. D. (2022). Schizophrenia: Science, psychoanalysis, & culture. Oxfordshire, UK: Karnac. https://firingthemind.com/product/9781912691944/
Volkan, K. (1994/2016). Dancing among the Maenads: The psychology of compulsive drug use. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing. (Reissued as an eBook from IPI E-Books - https://www.freepsychotherapybooks.org/ebook/dancing-among-the-maenads/)
PAPERS
Volkan, K. (2024). Why War?” Revisited- Reflections on Psychoanalysis and Human Aggression. Critica 5(1), Main. https://critica.press/2024/06/01/why-war-revisited-reflections-on-psychoanalysis-and-human-aggression/
Volkan, K. (2023). The Jinn: Islam, Exorcism, and Psychology. Journal of Social and Political Sciences, 6(3), 1-14. https://www.asianinstituteofresearch.org/JSParchives/The-Jinn%3A-Islam%2C-Exorcism%2C-and-Psychology
Volkan, K. (2022). Schizophrenia, Culture, and Culture-Bound Syndromes. Psychology Research and Applications, 3(1) 1-13. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350833153_Schizophrenia_Culture_and_Culture-Bound_Syndromes
Volkan, K. (2021). Hoarding and Animal Hoarding: Psychodynamic and Transitional Aspects. Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 49(1) 24-47. https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/pdps.2021.49.1.24
Volkan, K. (2021). Bunkers, Bubbles, Monuments, and Walls - Pathological Narcissism, Nazi Germany, and Donald Trump. European Journal of Psychoanalysis, 14(2), 1-21. https://www.journal-psychoanalysis.eu/articles/bunkers-bubbles-monuments-and-walls-pathological-narcissism-nazi-germany-and-donald-trump/
Volkan, K. (2020), Schizophrenia: Epidemiology, Causes, Neurobiology, Pathophysiology, and Treatment. Journal of Health and Medical Sciences, 3(4), 487-521. https://www.asianinstituteofresearch.org/JHMSarchives/Schizophrenia%3A-Epidemiology%2C-Causes%2C-Neurobiology%2C-Pathophysiology%2C-and-Treatment
Volkan, K. (2020) Encounter with the Demonic: Western, Eastern, and Object Relations Approaches. Psychology, 11(9), 1454-1470. doi: 10.4236/psych.2020.119092. https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=103231
Volkan, K. (2020). Delusional Misidentification Syndromes: Psychopathology and Culture. Journal of Health and Medical Sciences, 3(3), 288-301. https://www.asianinstituteofresearch.org/JHMSarchives/Delusional-MisidentificationSyndromes%3A-Psychopathology-and-Culture
Volkan, K. (2016). Personality Disorders: A Review of the Current State of Knowledge. Webmed Central PSYCHOLOGY, 7(4), p. 1-16. https://www.webmedcentral.com/wmcpdf/Article_WMC005089.pdf
Volkan, K. (2014). Whale Wars: A somewhat psychoanalytic review. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, (2)5, p. 616-620. https://www.ajouronline.com/index.php/AJHSS/article/view/1827
Volkan, K. (2013). A Psychoanalytic View of the Sangha: Group Functioning in Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, 1(2), p. 47-54. https://www.ajouronline.com/index.php/AJHSS/article/view/177
Volkan, K. (2013). Some considerations on zombies. Journal of Social Sciences Research, 1, p. 58-69. https://12e6e06c-9b0a-4fd5-4763-2bd2a7d85cc9.filesusr.com/ugd/737a54_de0a511d11454cb0b8e79aa6b98c2549.pdf
Bernstein, H., Dhepyasuwan, N., Connors, K., Volkan, K., & Serwint, J. R. (2013). Evaluation of a National Bright Futures Oral Health Curriculum for Pediatric Residents. Academic Pediatrics, 13(2), p. 133-139. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S187628591200294X
Volkan, K., & Rocklin, N. (2010). Prohibiting Obscene Animal Crush Videos in the Wake of United States v. Stevens. September 15, United States Senate Judiciary Committee, Dirksen Senate Building, Washington, DC. https://archive.org/details/gov.gpo.fdsys.CHRG-111shrg64411/page/n99/mode/2up
Volkan, K. (2010). Universities in Nazi Germany: Group pathology, symptoms, and solutions. The Journal of the World University Forum, 3(4), 1-11. https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/universities-in-nazi-germany
Rider E. A., Volkan K., & Hafler J. P. (2008). Pediatric residents' perceptions of communication competencies: Implications for teaching. Medical Teacher, 30, e208e217. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01421590802208842
Simon, S.R., Bui A., Day S., Berti, D., & Volkan, K. (2007). The Relationship Between Second-Year Medical Students’ OSCE Scores and USMLE Step 2 Scores. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, (13)6, 901–905. https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/therelationship-between-second-year-medical-students-osce-scores-and-YJz8q3s0BH
Hafler, J. P, Connors, K. M., Volkan, K., Bernstein, H. H. (2005). Developing and Evaluating a Residents’ Curriculum. Medical Teacher, 27(3), 276-287. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.546.3178&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Kerfoot B. P, Baker, H, Volkan, K, Church, P. A, Federman, D. D, Masser, B. A, and DeWolf, W. C . (2004). Development and initial evaluation of a novel urology curriculum for medical students. Journal of Urology, 172, 278-281. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022534705618721
Kerfoot, B. P, Baker, H, Volkan, K, Church, P. A, Federman, D. D, Masser, B. A, and DeWolf, W. C. (2004). Development of a Validated Instrument to Measure Medical Student Learning in Clinical Urology: A Step Toward Evidence-Based Education. Journal of Urology, 172, 282-285. https://www.auajournals.org/article/S0022-5347(05)61873-3/ppt
Volkan, K., Simon, S. R., Baker, H., & Todres, I. D. (2004). Psychometric Structure of a Comprehensive Objective Structured Clinical Examination: A Factor Analytic Approach. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 9 (2): 83-92. https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/springer-journals/psychometric-structure-of-acomprehensive-objective-structured-rc0XoDkJZj
Simon S. R, Volkan K, Hamann C, Duffey C, Fletcher S. W. (2002) The relationship between second-year medical students' OSCE scores and USMLE Step 1 scores. Medical Teacher, (5), 535-539. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0142159021000012586
Hamann, C., Volkan, K., Fishman, M., Silvestri, R, Simon, S. R., & Fletcher, S. W. (2001). How well do second-year students learn physical diagnosis? Observational study of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). BioMedCentral-Medical Education, (2)1, 1-11. https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6920-2-1
Lieberman G, Abramson, R. G, Volkan, K., McArdle P. (2001). Tutor versus computer: A prospective comparison of interactive tutorial and computer-assisted instruction in radiology education. Academic Radiology, (9)1, 40-49. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1076633203802957
Morag E, Lieberman G, Volkan K, & Lang E. (2001). Clinical Competence Assessment in Radiology: Introduction of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the Medical School Curriculum. Academic Radiology, 8(1), 74-81. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1076633203807468
Todres, I. D., Volkan, K., Newell, A., Hinrichs, P., & Arky, R. (2000). HMS Institutes a Fourth Year Comprehensive Examination. Medical Education News, 5(2).
Volkan, K. (1994). Psychopathology, groups, and group leaders: A psychoanalytic perspective. Vision/Action, 13(1), 19-24. https://www.academia.edu/21899183/Psychopathology_Groups_and_Group_Leaders_A_ Psychoanalytic_Perspective
Barth, R., Fetro, J. V., Leland, N. & Volkan, K. (1992). Preventing teenage pregnancy with social and cognitive skills. Journal of Adolescence Research, 7(2), 208-232. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/074355489272006
Volkan, K. (1991). The psychology of compulsive drug use: Psychoanalytic and object relations approaches. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Center for Psychological Studies, Albany, CA.
Volkan, K. (1990). Health conception and health-promoting lifestyle among older adults: The validation of a structural equation model. Washington, DC: Resources in Education, (#ED324587). https://eric.ed.gov/?q=Health+conception+and+healthpromoting+lifestyle+among+older+adults%3a+The+validation+of+a+statistical+model. &id=ED324587
Volkan, K., & Fetro, J. V. (1990). Substance abuse prevention: Theoretical implications for school-based programs. Family Life Educator, 8(4), 17-23.
Volkan, K. (1989). The CDC AIDS Survey: A Psychometric critique. Washington, DC: Educational Resources Information Center (#TM015981). https://eric.ed.gov/?q=author%3aVolkan&pg=5&id=ED327562
Walker, SN., Volkan, K., Sechrist, KR., & Pender, NJ. (1988). Health-promoting lifestyle patterns of older adults: Comparisons with young and middle adults, correlates and patterns. Advances in Nursing Science, 11(1), 76-90. https://journals.lww.com/advancesinnursingscience/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=1988 &issue=10000&article=00008&type=abstract
Volkan, K. (1988). Some notes on the use of LISREL. Journal of the Association for the Study of Perception, 21(1-2), 2-14.
Leyser, Y., Volkan, K., & Ilan, Z. (1988). Mainstreaming the disabled from an international perspective -- Perceptions of Israeli and American teachers. International Education, 18, 44-54. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385172412_Mainstreaming_the_Disabled_from_an_International_Perspective_-_Perceptions_of_Israeli_and_American_Teachers_I
Volkan, K. (1987). Using LISREL: Some notes on technique and interpretation. Washington, DC: Educational Resources Information Center (#TM016056). https://eric.ed.gov/?q=author%3aVolkan&pg=5&id=ED327589
Volkan, K. (1987). Health conception and health-promoting lifestyle among older adults. Thresholds in Education, 8(4), 16-18.
Volkan, K. (1987). The relationship of health conception to health-promoting lifestyle among older adults. (Doctoral Dissertation), Ann Arbor, MI: UMI.
Volkan, K. (1986). Humanistic Courses at NIU. AHP-Perspective, March.
Volkan, K. (1985). A perspective on the transpersonal/humanistic graduate program in the College of Education at Northern Illinois University. Association for Humanistic Education Newsletter, Spring.
Volkan, K. (1984). A comparative study of archetypal and Tibetan Buddhist psychologies.
Sonoma State University, CA. College of Liberal Arts, National Taiwan University: Digital Library & Museum of Buddhist Studies. http://enlight.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-AN/an37760.pdf
Grant Funding
TECHNICAL REPORTS AND GRANT PROPOSALS
Psychology Program, Five-Year Accreditation Review. (2011). California State University Channel Islands.
Evaluation of a Bright Futures Oral Health Intervention for Pediatric Resident Continuity Practice. 3/31/05. Application Number: 00024983. Ambulatory Pediatric Association Program Name: MCH Research Program Announcement Number: US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Research & Services Administration-05-015 (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01406366)
Clinical Decision Support and Medical Education. A report prepared for Contract # 290-00-0020. Bioterrorism - Automated Decision Support and Clinical Data Collection. 7/25/01. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Improving Medical Students’ Skills in History Taking and Physical Examination: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Intensive Clinical Skills Development. Proposal to Harvard Medical School 1/11/00. S. Simon, PI, K. Volkan, C. Hamann, S. Fletcher Co-Investigators, K. Kleinman, Statistician
Evaluation of a Patient-Simulator in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination, Proposal to the NBME Stemmler Medical Education Research Fund, 11/2000. K.Volkan, PI (with J. Gordon and ID Todres).
Excessive Use of Force by Law Enforcement Officers: A National Survey of Academic Emergency Physicians, Proposal to NIH, 12/2000. K. Volkan, Statistical Consultant (with H. R. Hutson, PI and S. Torres)
Training Emergency Physicians for Biodefense In Terrorist Attacks (AHRQ-00-0009) 10/2000. K. Volkan, Statistical Consultant (with Michael Wayne Shannon, PI and Gary Fleischer).
Report to the Comprehensive Examination Executive Committee. Harvard Medical School. 2000.
Nutrition Academic Award Program, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, K. Volkan, Evaluator (with Alan Walker, PI and Franci Welty, Co-PI). http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/funding/training/naa/index.htm
Matriculation Survey Report, Harvard Medical School. 1999.
Report to the Comprehensive Examination Executive Committee. Harvard Medical School. 1999.
Matriculation Survey Report, Harvard Medical School. 1998.
Assessment of risk factors leading to failure of outpatient asthma therapy in the Cambridge Hospital Community Health Network. 1998 (with Chen, V.C., Chen, L., Matsuda, K., Ogur, B., Goldman, R.).
Assessment of risk factors leading to failure of outpatient asthma therapy in the Cambridge Hospital Community Health Network, Hewlett-Packard Company, Andover, MA, March 1997 (with Julie Cionco, M.A. & Lynne Baldwin, Ph.D.)
Report from an Online Customer Satisfaction Survey, Chemical Analysis Group, Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA February 1997 (with Lynne Baldwin, Ph.D. & Julie Cionco, M.A.)
Annual Report for Five Branches Institute. Prepared for the National Accreditation Commission for Schools and Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Washington, DC, May 1996.
Annual Report for Five Branches Institute. Prepared for the State of California, Council for Private Post-secondary and Vocational Education, Sacramento CA, November 1995.
Study of Staff/Client Interaction. Research report prepared for the Psychological Services Department and the Executive Director, Agnews State Hospital, San Jose, CA, May 1993 (with Lloyd Abrams, Ph.D.).
Principles of Survey Development. Report prepared for The Gauntlett Group, Organizational Development Consultants, Emeryville, CA, January, 1991.
Teaching AIDS Training Project Final Report Year Two. Report prepared for the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, December, 1989 (with Patti Britton).
Evaluation of WEDGE AIDS Education Program: Summary Report. Prepared for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, September, 1989 (with Joyce V. Fetro, Ph.D.).
Teaching AIDS Training Project The First Two Years. Report prepared for the Teaching AIDS Training Project Advisory Committee and the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, October, 1989 (with Patti Britton and Janet Collins, Ph.D.).
Interactive Video Substance Abuse Prevention Phase II. The Fotonovela Approach to Substance Prevention II. Grant proposal developed for the DHHS, Washington, DC, April, 1989 (with Joyce V. Fetro, Ph.D. and Ana C. Matiella).
California AIDS Clearinghouse Grant Reapplication. Grant proposal prepared for the California Office of AIDS, Sacramento, CA, April, 1989 (with Susan Cooper, Ana C. Matiella, Lynn Adams and Merry Law).
Teaching AIDS Training Project Grant Reapplication. Grant proposal prepared for the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, March, 1989 (with Patti Britton, Janet Collins, Ph.D. and Cherri Felder).
Teaching AIDS Training Project Grant Final Report. Report prepared for the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, December, 1988 (with Patti Britton, Janet Collins, Ph.D. and Cherri Felder).
Family Life Education Network. Office of Family Planning, State of California. (with Patti Britton, Janet Collins, Ph.D. and Cherri Felder).
Pregnancy Prevention Skills Curriculum: Progress Report Year Two. Prepared for the Stuart Foundation, San Francisco, CA, October, 1988 (with Richard Barth, Ph.D. and Joyce V. Fetro, Ph.D.).
Discriminant Analysis of Variables Predicting Classification of Students in the Honors Program. Report for the Calumet Unified School District, Calumet, IL, November, 1987 (with Marvin Powell, Ph.D.).