The Psychopathology of Political Ideologies by Robert Samuels - 9781032058825

The Psychopathology of Political IdeologiesAuthor(s): Robert Samuels\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd, United Kingdom\nImprint: Routledge\nISBN-13: 9781032058825, 978-1032058825\nSynopsis\nInspired by Freuds The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, this book examines the unconscious processes shaping contemporary political ideologies.\n\nAddressing ten fundamental questions, Robert Samuels identifies four basic political ideologies: liberal, conservative, Left, and Right, which are often placed in the structure of a logical square, determined by two binary oppositions, with a fifth structure of centrism complicating the square. He turns to psychoanalysis to explain the unconscious defense mechanisms that structure these political ideologies. Each chapter uses a recent, influential title as a gateway to the analysis of the ideologies and structures identified. Through this analysis, Samuels argues that belief in ideological structures is tied to triumvirates of ins.