Not wishing to include the politics involved, but aware of Russian reception of whatever Putin and his supporters say, constructing and reconstructing reality, and the same now in America with Trump's henchmen, should we consider psychology as a group not individual function and that individual psychology is a consequence of democracy and liberal ideas?
I am not American, but I interested with your question. And I am not a psychologist too. Both in the liberal democracy or contemporary authoritarian, that must be an idea about individual psychology. But that idea always facing with the idea of group where the person belongs to. Now, the global trends was nationalism, every nation must survive their own fate triggered by the failed UNO to keep peace and justice on the earth. US's Unilateralism facing heavy rivalry from Russia, China, and BRIC's block. American people, we might called it "the majority" feel democracy is weaken their greatness, promoted by Trump. It was like Plato blame Pericles's Democracy on the losing Athens in Peloponnesian war.
Seta,
I love that you reference ancient Greece in your argument because my thoughts also went to the clashes between rich businessmen and democracy and the sadness that Socrates was not here on the side of the angels.
I am tending nowadays to believe individualism is overdone, as even that insists on the habitation of specific points of view,
You are right about Plato, etc, but the effects of money on Athenian society and democracy is rarely considered. The ancients noted that money had a life of its own and was capable of sudden growth, and that loyalty to money meant less loyalty to the city and people.
In the present we have a reestablishment of wealth as an essential part of power. Now money and individuality is a good topic.
Stanley Wilkin to hear that individualism is overdone exactly what those philosophers testament us. Some of the new regime, including in my country name Indonesia, moving toward collectivism something Rousseau said about volonte generale or general will (not will of us). The crucial problems lies in who governs? Plato and so Rousseau have warned us that in democracy the interests of those who govern can not be hindered. Moreover Rousseau said that Democracy only work for "the gods." This mean, Rousseau worried that representative democracy will always tends to be the medium of wealthy people to govern although in the backstage or "shadow."
While individual psychology is certainly shaped by democratic and liberal ideas, group psychology dominates under authoritarian regimes, influencing how reality is constructed and perceived.
Leaders and their supporters, like Putin and Trump's inner circle, use rhetoric and propaganda to shape public perception. This can create a reality where dissent is minimized, and the group's narrative becomes dominant.
Stephen, you are right and my next paper again discusses this. Rose, who I have used before, does not appear (I haven't read everything he writes) to separate properly psychology and psychiatry, the latter opposed to democracy, and exhibits only authoritarian traits. A very, very dangerous profession and the one most liked by governments!
Seta, in my next work I delve into the problem of psychology as based on individuals and to look at it as based on the group. Individual psychology may be a Western folly.
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