A Grandparenting Follow-Up Commentary on the Eulogy of Robert Jay Lifton, MD

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PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS

“After my auto accident, I began to understand the true nature of legacy. It wasn’t about the titles and the awards. It was about the lives I had touched.” –Legendary basketball coach, George Raveling, from his recent book, What You’re Made For¹

I have never wrote a follow-up column to one of my eulogies of psychiatrists—that is, until today. Today is the first, in large part because yesterday was our annual Grandparents Day. In that regard, I wish all grandparents and grandchildren readers the benefits of this uniquely important relationship.

You may recall that on Friday, right after hearing the news, I quickly wrote a personal-leaning eulogy about the renowned psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, MD. His extraordinary psychiatric career was covered so well elsewhere.

Yesterday, when it was Grandparents Day, I realized that I did not know if he was a grandparent. He was, with 4 grandchildren. I especially wish them well.

This particular personal information adds to Bob’s personal profile. Why may that be important to share? He as a man was mentioned much more often in follow-up comments to me after my eulogy. They include the following:

• “He was, in my dealings with him, a good man."
• “Lifton was very direct and did what he said he’d do without much fuss for a guy on two crutches. I suppose it’s often peoples’ hope that such will be said about them when they’re not present and when they’re REALLY not present.”
• “He was a generous teacher and an inspired thinker and advocate.”

It is by no means a given that a famous person will be a “good” person. Just think of the artist Picasso and the opera composer Wagner. Whether it is through neglect of everyday life and relationships, or that they are addressing personal problems through their art, many are not successful in their personal lives. Their contribution to the world is their work.

Psychiatrists have had similar work and home challenges. As my early career developed and we had children, there was concern—and some study confirmation—that children of psychiatrists had some increased development challenges. Don’t let your psychoanalytic knowledge intrude upon your natural parenting impulses was a common warning. Annual workshops at the annual American Psychiatric Association meetings on “Children of Psychiatrists” has been one helpful forum to process that issue.

It seems that as death approaches, relationships become ever more important compared with work success. Perhaps near the end, someone made Bob the creamy scrambled eggs he often made for his family on Sunday mornings.

My gratitude to our grandchildren. I, too, have had 4.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He presented the third Rabbi Jeffrey B. Stiffman lecture at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis on Sunday, May 19, 2024. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.

Reference

1. Raveling G, Holiday R. What You’re Made For: Powerful Life Lessons From My Career in Sports. Portfolio; 2025.