Vamik D. Volkan (1932, Cyprus) is professor emeritus of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia, senior researcher at the Erikson Institute of Education and Research of the Austen Riggs Center (Massachusetts) and honorary doctorate from the University of Kuopio (Finland) and by the University of Ankara (Turkey). He has actively participated in various international institutions and won many awards in recognition of his great work and research. He is the author and editor of numerous books and academic essays, and has served on the editorial board of several professional journals, including the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association.