I next offer an essay that I wrote many years ago (that Kevin Weitz and I have updated) concerning the early years of social psychological analyses of a specific social/political perspective—namely authoritarianism (and its many accompanying attributes, including ethnocentrism, cognitive rigidity and anomie). We focus in particular on the California Studies and production of The Authoritarian Personality (probably the most widely read or at least most often praised, quoted or critiqued of any social psychological texts).
The next two essays come from the left end of the political spectrum—representing a contrast to the perspective offered by John Krubski and building on the historical background I provided in my essay on the Authoritarian personality. The first of these essays is a powerful essay regarding alienation–a common theme in many books and articles that bring together Neo-Marxist and Neo-Freudian theoretical analyses (often identified with the 20th Century Frankfort School of Psychoanalysis). Offered by Gene Riddle, this essay penetrates deeply into the American psyche and provides both historical and psychological insights.
The second essay is offered b Amy Loewenhaar-Blauwiss, a noted scholar on the holocaust and Jewish identity. As a psychoanalytically trained clinician, she is able to move directly into the therapy room and not only explore the psychotherapeutic challenges of personality disorders but also draw a parallel to the dynamics operating in contemporary extremist thought and violence found in the American right-wing. She writes about attachment disorders and trauma—relating both to the therapy office and political corridors of Washington D.C..
I close this issue of The Future of Professional Psychology with two essays that take us away, at least initially, from the world of American politics. The first essay was written by myself and builds on my experiences in the country of Estonia during the collapse of the Soviet Union. I originally wrote about these experiences and their relationship to work done by Erich Fromm (of the Frankfort School). He writes about “the escape from freedom” in World War II Germany and 1950s America. I bring this analysis not only to my understanding of what occurred in Estonia during the early 1990s, but also my understanding of what is occurring in contemporary societies throughout the world. Full disclosure: I am probably most closely aligned in my analysis with Fromm and his left-wing perspectives.
The final essay takes us to 21st Century China. Written by my exceptional Chinese colleague, Sharon Ma, and buildng on the work of Erich Fromm, this account of life in China speaks to the powerful role played by media, coupled with centralized planning and power in bringing about specific shared attitudes and actions among the citizens of this large and powerful country. Now living in Thailand, Dr. Ma will have the opportunity to contribute even more in the near future to our understanding of the important social-political dynamics operating in China. Like Drs. Riddle and Lowenhaar-Blauweiss, Dr. Ma is an experienced and gifted psychotherapist. She readily brings together psychological insights from the therapy office together with her own experiences in a society that is challenged (like American society) with authoritarian tendencies.
I hope you find this panaramic view of the dynamics and challenges to be found in political systems both insightful and of practical value for you as a citizen in one of the mid-21st Century societies assessed in this issue of The Future of Professional Psychology. Many more diverse perspectives such as we have offered are needed in a world that is polarized and in need of new answeers informed by professional psychological research and practice.
William Bergquist, Ph.D
Editor
