Thoughts for the Times on Groups and Masses
A Sigmund Freud Museum Symposium
Daniela Finzi (Editor), Jeanne Wolff Bernstein (Editor),
Series: Figures of the Unconscious
Category: Psychoanalysis
Language: English
ISBN: 9789462704459
Publication date: January 15, 2025
€36.00 (including 6% VAT)
Buy NowNumber of pages: 180
Size: 234 x 156 x 10 mm
Stock item: 164016
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Series: Figures of the Unconscious
Category: Psychoanalysis
Language: English
ISBN: 9789461666116
Publication date: January 15, 2025
€31.00 (including 6% VAT)
Buy NowNumber of pages: 180
Series: Figures of the Unconscious
Category: Psychoanalysis
Language: English
ISBN: 9789461666109
Publication date: January 15, 2025
€31.00 (including 6% VAT)
Buy NowNumber of pages: 180
A timely contribution in this era of authoritarianism, right-wing populist movements, identity formation, and political correctness.
“In groups the most contradictory ideas can exist side by side and tolerate each other, without any conflict arising from the logical contradiction between them”, wrote Freud in his 1921 book Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego. One hundred years later, in an age of war, social networks, and ubiquitous threats to democracy, the questions raised by Freud are as relevant as ever. In today’s mass and group formations, psychological processes and mechanisms can be recognized as they were described by Freud a century ago: compliance, hypnotization, regression, idealization, identification, and fusion with the Other. This anthology is the result of an interdisciplinary symposium organized by the Sigmund Freud Museum, Vienna. In their contributions, scholars from psychoanalysis, philosophy, sociology and literary studies present critical re-readings of the text and focus on current issues such as the rise of right-wing populist movements, the role of the narcissistic leader, and mass phenomena in the digital age.
This book will be made open access within three years of publication thanks to Path to Open, a program developed in partnership between JSTOR, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), University of Michigan Press, and The University of North Carolina Press to bring about equitable access and impact for the entire scholarly community, including authors, researchers, libraries, and university presses around the world. Learn more at https://about.jstor.org/path-to-open/
Preface
Monika Pessler
Introduction
Daniela Finzi and Jeanne Wolff Bernstein
Sexual Drives, Eros, and Identification – A Re-reading of Freud’s Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego
Ulrike May
Freud’s “Mass Psychology”
Helmut Dahmer
The Social Unconscious, Trauma and Groups: A Constellation
Earl Hopper
The In-Between of Us: The Inter-Subject and Interstitial Belonging
Francisco J. González
Mass Death / Tobacco and Salt
Ranjana Khanna
Art, Identity, and Group Psychology in Digital Modernity
Sama Maani
The Truths of Psychoanalysis: Defying the Lies of Psychology that Fuel the Digital Amassing of Individuals
Jan De Vos
Representing the Crisis of Representation
Giuseppina Antinucci
Ideology, Leaders, and Group Action in the January 6 Insurrection
Ricardo Ainslie
Massenpsychologie and MAGA
Gail Newman
Notes on the Contributors
Jan De Vos
Gail Newman
Francisco J. González
Ranjana Khanna
Ricardo Ainslie
Sama Maani
Ulrike May
Helmut Dahmer
Giuseppina Antinucci
Earl Hopper
This volume is a very important and timely contribution. The chapters taken together offer multiple psychoanalytic perspectives on Freud’s “Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego,” which could not be more timely given the rise of authoritarian regimes around the world, current threats to democracy, and the rise of fanatical right-wing populist movements. The interpretations of the authors provoke serious attention to the continuing relevance of Freud’s - and his predecessors’ and successors’ - important contributions to the understanding of group/mob psychology and the role of the narcissistic leader. - Pamela Cooper-White, Union Theological Seminary
Mass psychology – its roots in large group identity, its vulnerability to collective trauma, and its inchoate shaping by the digital world – could not be a more timely subject. This book’s authors engage that subject, in that word’s more basic meaning of pledging oneself, in this case, to work deeply and personally with Freud’s text. The results are breathtaking! Freud still lives at Bergasse 19, and he hosts profoundly interesting conversations. - M. Gerard Fromm, past president of the International Dialogue Initiative, former director of the Erikson Institute, Austen Riggs Center.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Thoughts for the Times on Groups and Masses" about?
A timely contribution in this era of authoritarianism, right-wing populist movements, identity formation, and political correctness.
“In groups the most contradictory ideas can exist side by side and tolerate each other, without any conflict arising from the logical contradiction between them”, wrote Freud in his 1921 book Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego. One hundred years later, in an age of war, social networks, and ubiquitous threats to democracy, the questions raised by Freud are as relevant as ever. In today's mass and group formations, psychological processes and mechanisms can be recognized as they were described by Freud a century ago: compliance, hypnotization, regression, idealization, identification, and fusion with the Other. This anthology is the result of an interdisciplinary symposium organized by the Sigmund Freud Museum, Vienna. In their contributions, scholars from psychoanalysis, philosophy, sociology and literary studies present critical re-readings of the text and focus on current issues such as the rise of right-wing populist movements, the role of the narcissistic leader, and mass phenomena in the digital age.
This book will be made open access within three years of publication thanks to Path to Open, a program developed in partnership between JSTOR, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), University of Michigan Press, and The University of North Carolina Press to bring about equitable access and impact for the entire scholarly community, including authors, researchers, libraries, and university presses around the world. Learn more at https://about.jstor.org/path-to-open/
Who wrote "Thoughts for the Times on Groups and Masses"?
"Thoughts for the Times on Groups and Masses" was written by Jan De Vos, Gail Newman, Francisco J. González, Ranjana Khanna, Ricardo Ainslie, Sama Maani, Ulrike May, Helmut Dahmer, Giuseppina Antinucci and Earl Hopper.
Who edited "Thoughts for the Times on Groups and Masses"?
"Thoughts for the Times on Groups and Masses" was edited by Daniela Finzi and Jeanne Wolff Bernstein.
Daniela Finzi is the head of the research department of the Sigmund Freud Museum in Vienna and member of the board of the Sigmund Freud Foundation.
Jeanne Wolff Bernstein is a psychoanalyst in Vienna and the chair of the Advisory Board of the Sigmund Freud Foundation.
Is "Thoughts for the Times on Groups and Masses" part of a series?
Yes, "Thoughts for the Times on Groups and Masses" is part of the "Figures of the Unconscious" series.
In collaboration with the International Society for Psychoanalysis and Philosophy (SIPP-ISPP).
The peer-reviewed book series Figures of the Unconscious was founded in 2001 and provides a platform for exchange at the intersection of philosophy and psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis occupies a crucial position within contemporary philosophical thinking and many analysts are influenced by philosophical approaches.
Both philosophy and psychoanalysis are concerned with the nature of the subject, questions of knowledge and epistemology, sexuality, life and death, ethical issues, alterity, and the subject’s manifold relationships to the other - to other human and non-human beings and to its environment.
We welcome manuscripts in the areas and at the intersections of
- the history of psychoanalysis and Freudian thought
- the exploration of psychoanalytic concepts and the development of theories
- the research and development of the psychoanalytic movement
- psychoanalytic and philosophical concepts and ideas
- psychoanalysis, gender and queer studies
- interdisciplinary approaches that combine psychoanalysis with other scientific disciplines
- current developments in psychoanalytic approaches
- ethical approaches in psychoanalysis
- epistemological debates
Editors-in-Chief
Beatriz Santos (Université de Paris)
Herman Westerink (Radboud University)
Esther Hutfless (Sigmund Freud University Linz)
Editorial board
Jeff Bloechl (Boston College)
Advisory Board
Jozef Corveleyn (KU Leuven)
Monique David-Ménard (Université de Paris)
Rodrigo De La Fabián (Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago de Chile)
Jens De Vleminck (Leuven)
Eran Dorfman (University of Tel Aviv)
Laurie Laufer (Université de Paris)
Elissa Marder (Emory University, Atlanta)
Claire Nioche (Université Paris XIII)
Vladimir Safatle (Universidade de São Paulo)
Charles Shepherdson (State University of New York at Albany)
Guillaume Silbertin Blanc (Université Paris 8)
Raluca Soreanu (University of Essex)
Celine Surprenant (Paris)
Antônio Teixeira (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais)
Johan Van Der Walt (University of Luxemburg)
Wilfried Ver Eecke (Georgetown University)
Proposals
The board accepts manuscripts for review from both members and non-members of the SIPP-ISPP. These can be either monographs or edited volumes, provided they align with the aims and scope of the series.
Proposals and enquiries can be sent to the series editors-in-chief.
Please make use of the submission form to present your manuscript or proposal to our board.
Authors interested in Open Access can consult the available funding options.
Links & Resources
What is the Table of Contents for "Thoughts for the Times on Groups and Masses"?
Preface
Monika Pessler
Introduction
Daniela Finzi and Jeanne Wolff Bernstein
Sexual Drives, Eros, and Identification – A Re-reading of Freud’s Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego
Ulrike May
Freud’s “Mass Psychology”
Helmut Dahmer
The Social Unconscious, Trauma and Groups: A Constellation
Earl Hopper
The In-Between of Us: The Inter-Subject and Interstitial Belonging
Francisco J. González
Mass Death / Tobacco and Salt
Ranjana Khanna
Art, Identity, and Group Psychology in Digital Modernity
Sama Maani
The Truths of Psychoanalysis: Defying the Lies of Psychology that Fuel the Digital Amassing of Individuals
Jan De Vos
Representing the Crisis of Representation
Giuseppina Antinucci
Ideology, Leaders, and Group Action in the January 6 Insurrection
Ricardo Ainslie
Massenpsychologie and MAGA
Gail Newman
Notes on the Contributors
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