The Face of the Deep

Jen Howk

The Face of the Deep is a podcast that is rooted in psychology but unbound by any single theory. We explore what makes us who we are—from the genes and stories we inherit to the ones we struggle to rewrite. Expect conversations that weave together clinical insight, Jungian thought, behavioral science, and a bit of political and cultural critique. Whether we're talking about trauma, personality, midlife, or the politics of mental health, this show asks deeper questions about the self, the soul, and the systems we live in.

  1. FEB 10

    Episode 17: The Wounded Masculine and Its Discontents

    In this episode, I have a deep and wide-ranging (and not nearly long enough!) conversation with Dean Abbott about the dilemmas and diversions of self-development and romantic unhappiness. We discuss the crisis of emotional immaturity in modern relationships, the over-functioning woman/underfunctioning man dynamic, why women are exhausted and men are dissociated, the real reason women get "the ick," and what it is that men and women really want and need from one another. It's a conversation where we attempt to look beyond stereotypical tropes, and instead explore the fundamental ways that men and women misinterpret and misunderstand one another. We discuss how, tragically, the qualities and behaviors that we demand from our partners—as well as those we attempt to offer to them in return—are in many ways the exact opposite of what is required for successful partnership and individual growth. Dr. Dean Abbott is a certified pastoral counselor and coach, author, poet, theologian, and mentor. You can learn more about him and his work at https://www.deanabbott.com and https://www.alifedesigned.org/dean, as well as follow him on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/altdeanabbott. (Note that this is a backup account; his main account at the time I'm publishing this has been hacked, but hopefully will be recovered soon—you can still read old posts there at twitter.com/deanabbott.) Some mentioned resources: Lindsay Gibson, "Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents" https://amzn.to/3OzVt9i Robert Bly, "Iron John: A Book About Men" https://amzn.to/4kpWyfQ Dean Abbott, "Common Good: Reflections on Everyday Vices and Virtues" https://amzn.to/45Vj76f Dean Abbott, "On Character and Community" https://amzn.to/3MxSlu8 -- My book, "Truth be Told": https://www.jenhowk.com/truth For more resources including several weekly zoom groups, consider joining my community, The Collective Unconscious: https://collective.jenhowk.com

    59 min

  2. 07/03/2025

    Episode 16: Correlation is Not a Conclusion (Interview with Professor Eric Turkheimer)

    In this episode I chat with Professor Eric Turkheimer at the University of Virginia about why the fact that "everything is heritable" doesn't actually mean very much; why the concept of "heritability" itself might just be the most misunderstood term in science; how the field of behavior genetics continues to struggle to disentangle its research priorities and methodological assumptions from the segregationist and eugenic ideologies that shaped its early development; and why humans have a "genetic essentialism" cognitive bias that primes us to oversimplify very complex realities of human nature.  "Understanding the Nature-Nurture Debate" by Professor Turkheimer:  https://amzn.to/4l5Q6K0 Join my membership community, the Collective Unconscious: https:/collective.jenhowk.com

    1 hr

  3. 06/20/2025

    Episode 15 - The Mismeasure of Meaning: Nature, Nurture, and Nuance

    In this episode, I explain my concerns and criticisms of the claim that "everything is genetic." I explain both why I once found the hereditarian literature very persuasive, as well as the philosophical and epistemological reasons I am no longer willing to agree that the case can be considered closed. I've listed a few resources that might be useful for further reading below. Of course I don't agree with every single thing each of these authors argues either—and some of them even contradict one another on various details. But as a whole, they have greatly informed my thinking on this subject and many others. On behavioral genetics and biology: Eric Turkheimer, "Understanding the Nature-Nurture Debate" https://amzn.to/4l5Q6K0 Evelyn Fox Keller, "The Century of the Gene" https://amzn.to/3TxKFb6 Denis Noble, "The Music of Life" https://amzn.to/4leUnuU David Moore, "The Developing Genome" https://amzn.to/4nbGeQP Aaron Panofsky, "Misbehaving Science: Controversy and the Development of Behavioral Genetics" https://amzn.to/4k0vJNo Philip Ball, "How Life Works: A User's Guide to the New Biology" https://amzn.to/442walX Books not specifically about genetics but which have contributed enormously to my general philosophy of science and causality (and the weirdness of the universe): Iain McGilchrist, "The Master and His Emissary" https://amzn.to/4n8G6Bx Bernardo Kastrup, "Analytical Idealism" https://amzn.to/3I3NNsI Don Hoffman, "The Case Against Reality" https://amzn.to/4jUjCBz Robert Rosen, "Life Itself" https://amzn.to/44aDWsD Lewis Mumford, "The Myth of the Machine" https://amzn.to/4n8GVu7 Paul Feyerabend, "Against Method" https://amzn.to/4nbIMhX Join the Collective Unconscious: https://collective.jenhowk.com

    28 min

  4. 06/02/2025

    Episode 14: "Cluster B" Kids with Joshua Slocum

    This week I sat down with Joshua Slocum, co-host of the "Disaffected" podcast. I reached out to him to discuss the convergence of "Cluster B" pathology and the flattering mimicry of AI, as documented in one of his recent episodes (linked below.) We wound up discussing all kinds of things, including a bit of the AI question as well as the heritability (or lack thereof) of homosexuality, the consequences of our obnoxious Marxist youth, what compels us to "do the work" when our parents wouldn't, and why telling ourselves the truth about the past and who we really are is the most important thing we can do for our own healing. Plus he graces us several times with "the voice." Disaffected on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DisaffectedPodcast "Out of Alignment" episode about AI: https://youtu.be/MjGCsk11sqw For more information or to reach out to Josh: https://joshuaslocum.net/ For more about me or to book a consultation, visit my website: www.jenhowk.com Join the Collective Unconscious: https://collective.jenhowk.com

    1h 47m

  5. 03/21/2025

    Episode 13: Strained and Estranged - The Mother/Daughter Rupture

    In this episode of Face of the Deep, I talk a bit about my own difficult relationship with my mom, and reflect on some themes that have come up in my groups and with clients recently about mother-daughter ruptures and how we can think about them and potentially heal them. If you'd like to join my community for more conversations like this, you can find more information at https://collective.jenhowk.com Join the Collective Unconscious: https://collective.jenhowk.com

    33 min

  6. 09/18/2024

    Episode 12: Reclaim Your Inner Outlaw with Jungian Analyst Lisa Marchiano

    In this episode I sit down with the brilliant Lisa Marchiano, an award-winning author, podcaster, and certified Jungian analyst. I found Lisa through the depth-psychology podcast "This Jungian Life," from which I have learned so much, and I look forward to listening to each week. I also wanted to talk to Lisa specifically because of how her work draws on the wisdom of fairy tales to help women connect more deeply with themselves—a theme that is at the center of her amazing new book, "The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire." In this conversation we discuss not only how to tap into the wisdom of fairy tales, but also the unlikely overlap between evolutionary psychology and Jungian psychology, intrinsic traits vs. environmental factors, how to begin shadow work, the fate of western civilization, and all kinds of other things. To learn more or connect with Lisa, visit her website at https://www.lisamarchiano.com Preorder her new book "Dream Wise" (with Deborah Stewart anad Joseph Lee): https://www.dreamwisebook.com This Jungian Life podcast: https://www.thisjungianlife.com Join "The Collective Unconscious," my membership community, for virtual groups, courses, early access to my podcast, and more: https://collective.jenhowk.com

    54 min

  7. 08/27/2024

    Episode 11: The Trouble With Twin Studies - Does DNA Really Make Us Who We Are? (with Jay Joseph)

    In this episode, I sit down with clinical psychologist Dr. Jay Joseph to discuss the issue of genetic research in IQ, personality, and psychiatric disorders—particularly in the context of the thirtieth anniversary of the publication of "The Bell Curve." While twin studies are exalted by behavioral geneticists as the gold standard research that definitively settles the so-called nature-nurture debate, our conversation explores a variety of problems with such claims. Dr. Joseph offers a strong critique of twin study methodologies and assumptions, and urges a very serious and thoughtful reconsideration of many of the field's findings in light of psychology's replication crisis. We discuss the so-called "missing heritability problem" posed by more modern methods of evaluating the genetic influence on IQ and personality, the relationship between ongoing genetic research and big pharma, and why he believes the findings of "The Bell Curve" fail to hold up under scrutiny thirty years later. Jay Joseph, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has written critically about genetic research in the social and behavioral sciences continuously since the late 1990s, and is critical of medical models of human psychological distress and dysfunction. He is the author of four books, most recently Schizophrenia and Genetics: The End of an Illusion (2023). A complete list of his books, book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles can be found on his website: www.jayjoseph.net. Many of his online articles can be found on the Mad in America website: www.madinamerica.com The Bell Curve at 30: A Closer Look at the Within- and Between-Group IQ Genetic Evidence: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/jz7ku 5:30: Revisiting problematic assumptions and methodologies in twin studies, focusing on critiques of "The Bell Curve" on its thirtieth anniversary. 10:30: Examining the impact of environmental factors on twins raised in different families and the challenges of teasing out effects in twin studies. 15:52: Controversy surrounding the genetic component of IQ, particularly in relation to ethnic differences and media attention. 21:05: Misuse of genetic research to maintain power and wealth, hindering education system in the US. 26:54: Controversy surrounds the measurement of intelligence by IQ tests, with genetic assumptions challenged. 32:45: Challenges in twin studies due to lack of statistical significance in IQ correlations. 37:36: Issues with research publication pressure and ideological bias in psychology and political science. 42:35: Challenges in genetic research methods impacting heritability estimates. 48:00: Genetic influence in psychiatric disorders and intelligence research questioned. 53:06: Challenges in academic research due to biases, silo mentality, and lack of acknowledgment of conflicts of interest. 58:08: Exploring societal influences on mental health research and the limitations of focusing solely on biological factors. 1:03:31: Challenges with twin studies and their implications on genetic influences. ---- My ebooks: https://jenhowk.gumroad.com Join my membership community (courses, group coaching, 1:1 connections and messaging, and more): https://collective.jenhowk.com

    1h 7m

  8. 07/05/2024

    Episode 10: Introduction to My New Book, "Truth Be Told"

    You can order my e-book "Truth Be Told" directly for immediate download at https://jenhowk.gumroad.com/l/truthbetold To order the audio book, you can do so via https://jenhowk.gumroad.com/l/truthbetoldaudio For more information or to join my mailing list, please visit: https://www.jenhowk.com My ebooks: https://jenhowk.gumroad.com Join my membership community (courses, group coaching, 1:1 connections and messaging, and more): https://collective.jenhowk.com

    11 min
See All (17)

4.8
out of 5
33 Ratings

About

The Face of the Deep is a podcast that is rooted in psychology but unbound by any single theory. We explore what makes us who we are—from the genes and stories we inherit to the ones we struggle to rewrite. Expect conversations that weave together clinical insight, Jungian thought, behavioral science, and a bit of political and cultural critique. Whether we're talking about trauma, personality, midlife, or the politics of mental health, this show asks deeper questions about the self, the soul, and the systems we live in.

Information

  • Creator
    Jen Howk
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    The Face of the Deep

You Might Also Like