Capitalism and Neurosis

Capitalism and Neurosis

Nildo Viana

This essay discusses a key issue for contemporary society: the relationship between neurosis and capitalist society. Psychoanalytic studies of Freud and other psychoanalysts opened the way to think about this relationship and this leaves room to think the role of neurosis in the process of class struggles.

The first issue is to define what is neurosis and see its conditions of possibility, that is, how it is produced. There are several definitions of neurosis and, according to some of these, there are various types of neurosis. Freud, for example, distinguished defense psychoneurosis, anxiety neurosis etc. However, it does not define neurosis clearly, and most psychoanalysts later. We will here, inspiring in Karen Horney, but differentiating us from it, define neurosis as a specific psychological problem, characterized by a structural insecurity of the individual to society, which creates two major and complementary defense mechanisms: the escape and hostility.

The trail promotes isolation, restriction of contacts and friendships, inhibition. Hostility generates aggression and complements the previous frame. The neurotic individual solves your problem of structural insecurity fleeing and harassing people, which keeps one hand, a circle of people (usually family and a few friends) that serve as a refuge from contact with others and hostility to outsiders and non-elected in general. No doubt, hostility also occurs along the inner circle of contacts, but only to complement the need for security through control, which generates conflicts and aggression. This also promotes a third element that is a certain psychic rigidity, turned to escape, aggression, everyday rudeness, the search for order and everything is organized and consistent with their usual, which gives you a sense of security.

Therefore, this structural insecurity that characterizes the individual neurosis is understood and manifested through fear, which causes some researchers focus on this aspect of neurosis (Horney, 1984). The structural insecurity promotes the individual an escape will, "return to the womb," to escape the world, creating an exaggerated need for security. This promotes difficult to love, relate, exaggerated mistrust, isolation, aggression, rigidity, possessiveness. Also, due to the exaggerated need for security also promotes an excessive preoccupation with order and promotes irrational and restrictive behavior relationships in which family and related persons are elected as sufficient and unknown clearance or persons not "trusted" according to strict criteria produced in the above situation are the most important.

With regard to the emotional world, it generates restricted bonding, after it is "safe". Similarly, possessiveness ensures greater safety and irrationality of behavior and thought process that suffers the psychoanalytically was called rationalization. This creates not only conflicts with others, but also inner conflicts, because the desire for emotional relationship (in the broad sense of the word) and the difficulty in achieving this, because the search for security, creates a restrictive selectivity. This selectivity, to ensure confidence and control, just electing people more subservient, modest, less intellectualized or questioning (ie less threatening), if not usually, at least in relation to the individual neurotic.

As regards the intellectual process promotes an intellectual inhibition (which generates a certain degree of security to prevent exposure), which also produces the restriction intellectual output, since this avoids conflict and allows an illusory confidence. Thus, initiative and critical and creative ability end up being damaged and diminished. The difficulty of initiative and development of creativity, radical needs of every human being, has worsened the situation of the neurotic individual. The judgment is obliterated by the general insecurity and conflicts that can generate. This also generates a rigid thinking about everyday, affective, family issues.

This also ends up affecting the values ​​of the neurotic individual. Some values ​​end up being quite evident in this case: family, authority, subservience, order. In specific cases, of course, there may be conflicts of values ​​in these individuals, mainly depending on other determinations, as consciousness, feelings, other values, etc., that are stronger when derived from significant others to such an individual. This is due to the complex problem of the formation of values ​​in specific individuals (Viana, 2007) and the process of information and intellectual formation of the individual, among other determinations.

So the neurotic individual is always near or overt authoritarianism, possessiveness, control of people close, aggression, and when it comes to relationships outside this circle, hostility is the answer to ensure security before the threatening world, or submission and subservience that requests of others and handicapped, can do it to feel safe on the authorities and people seen as "threatening". In cases of specific individuals, the solution of submission and subservience may be more constant because of its situation in social relations, among other determinations.

However, one must keep in view that neurosis is linked to structural insecurity and no insecurity that all individuals have a greater or lesser degree, with more or less intensity depending on the context, etc. a certain insecurity. This is a structural insecurity that pervades the "personality" total individual. Thus, it is possible to think, as does Horney (1984), a "neurotic personality". Some neurotic people are so aggressive that can divert perception of his great insecurity, as well pass a false sense that they are safe and rationalize its aggressive behavior without admitting its roots linked to structural insecurity, and some of these individuals do not even have a clear aware of it.

What generates neurosis? This is an important issue to understand the question of the relation of this psychic problem with social transformation. The formation of neurosis is linked to the repressive-coercive socialization process that promotes the suppression of certain human capabilities, especially during childhood and youth, combined with a strong coercion, ie production of behaviors, ideas, feelings, etc. The repressive socialization prevents the manifestation of human potential and that, during childhood, can be extremely damaging psychologically. When repression is very strong, as is a more-repression (Viana, 2008), tends to cause psychological problems. The coercive nature of socialization can strengthen this process and, in the case of neurosis, takes a complementary and essential role.

In the case of capitalist society, socialization imposes values ​​and seeks to establish a bourgeois mentality in individuals in which the competition, the pursuit of success, wealth, power, etc., become fundamental. To accomplish this, you need discipline, studies, dedication and this overlap, in socializing led by capitalist sociability and bourgeois mentality, freedom and creativity. In short, being strong coercion, repression also will therefore be to focus intensively work (alienated) the abandonment of other activities and needs is required.

The family ends up having a key role in this process, since it is the main forum for socialization. If the values ​​of the parents point to this process of reproduction of the bourgeois mentality, so is an important element to think about the process of producing a neurotic individual. The existing repression in this case does not necessarily produce and in all cases, in individuals undergoing neurosis it. But if this is accompanied by some other determinations, it becomes increasingly likely. If the bourgeois mentality of parents is excessive, then a high degree of family collection exist (higher degree of coercion). The studies should override the fun and creativity, for example. They will only valued activities that are direct manifestations of the dominant values, and the other will be desvaloradas. This tends to be even stronger if the bonding within the family are cold and there is the depreciation of the children. Thus, affection, emotional fulfillment, is suppressed. Depreciation and disregard the son / daughter tends to generate a strong insecurity. The neurotic generally accepted the dominant values, at least partially, and in that sense takes for itself goals that are typically those of the capitalist sociability and bourgeois mentality, promoting a desire for social advancement, wealth and power:

"Without descending to details, the broad outlines of the vicious circle that arises from neurotic longing for power, prestige and possessions can be approximately indicated as follows: anxiety, hostility, respect shaken itself; longing for power and the like; increased hostility and anxiety; tendency to evade the competition (associated with trends to be underestimated); failures and discrepancies between potential and achievements (accompanied by envy); increase the greatness of ideas (for fear of jealousy); heightened sensitivity (with renewed tendency to retract); increased hostility and anxiety, which restarts again, the whole cycle "(Horney, 1984, p. 165).

This can all be enhanced by education, which by its structure tends to have a playback process of the dominant mentality and sociability. However, when this is more intense, or where the school enhances too much the competition, dominant values ​​etc., as happens in most traditional authoritative bureaucratic and education, the tendency to formation of neurotic individuals increases further.

Individual uniqueness can also strengthen this possibility. This possibility is realized when a trauma occurs, for example. It can also occur due to certain physical characteristics (natural or accidental, by themselves or by the social perception of them, such as prejudice, etc.), or even certain events, friendships, etc., act to strengthen their bases .

In short, when socialization is extremely repressive and coercive, there is a tendency to produce neurotic individuals. If this process is very intense and marked by bourgeois values ​​and do not create any other possibility of partial overcoming this situation, then the formation of neurosis in the individual is what happens. Neurosis is produced in individuals who, due to over-repression to which they are subjected, end up having a shadow, destructive energy, very powerful. However, this occurs when the individual fails to develop his persona, constructive energy, is highlighting in intellectual, artistic activities, etc. Obviously, the most-repression tends to inhibit such development in these people, however, because other determinations it is possible that the individual can overcome this tendency.

Thus, the most-repression combined with other determinations, especially a strong constraint, tends to promote the formation of neurotic individuals. Because of the social processes related alluded above there are certain sectors of society more conducive for development of neurosis. This is the case of the auxiliary classes of the bourgeoisie (bureaucracy, intelligentsia, etc.) and women. According to Schneider:

"Since social position in middle class family is based generally on the professional status (especially among employees of any kind, key employees and 'professionals') rather than on generating ownership of capital, this status can only be maintained through similar qualifications among children "(Schneider, 1977, p. 246).

Women are already more tendentiously exposed to neurosis due to women's oppression process and its repression be higher and coercion (which can be either in the direction of social competition as in seclusion for housework and child care, and this the latter case is only going to strengthen the formation of neurosis, if there is a refusal or false acceptance of these activities and / or poor emotional relationship with their children).

In the case of the exploited classes, what happens is that the situations of over-repression tend to generate, tend, psychosis and not neurosis.

"Indeed, Langner and Michael were able to prove that psychotic disorders and pathological personality traits are significantly more frequent among the lower classes, but the neurotic disorders, on the other hand, are significantly more frequent in the middle and upper classes (of society American). The "New Haven Study" by Holligshead and Redlich also shows that in the upper and middle classes neuroses predominate, while the proletarian classes psychosis is clearly dominant "(Schneider, 1977, p. 245).

Obviously you can not agree with the explanation that Schneider offers for this trend breakdown frame mental health problems by social classes. His thesis that the explanation of this lies in the fact that there is a more rigid education of the workers and more permissive parenting families in privileged classes is quite questionable. After all, many families of the privileged classes due to social ambition and competition, promote highly repressive and rigid educational process, while many workers' families are less rigid. However, there are other determinations, such as affection, more or less easily to reach the educational and social goals, the type of school and family relationships, etc. In fact, neurosis is a stronger trend in privileged classes because these there is a greater number of families fully controlled by the bourgeois mentality and the dynamics of the rat race, which causes several trends that point to the formation of neuroses in children: cold ties or distant due to the time dedicated to work; requirements and over-payments, aimed at preparing children for social competition. Thus, there is a high degree of repression and coercion in the case of the privileged classes, which encourages the formation of neurotic people.

In the case of families of the exploited classes, the tolerable daily reality, lack of perspective to make social competition, among other determinations, promote a refusal and escape from this reality. The great thing is that much of the repression is not produced via family but due to external social conditions (low income, for example). This enables a more-repression, however, does not live with a family or other coercion so intense. The low coercivity tends not to generate so much uncertainty but a dissatisfaction due to the confrontation between wants and needs and not performing, creating an individual's confrontation with their social situation and, therefore, their perception of reality. Thus, only explored in class families marked by a strong field of bourgeois mentality, which generates virtually a strong coercion, is that - along with other determinations that refers to specific cases - can promote the formation of neuroses.

However, it must recognize that there is a relationship between social classes and mental health problems. There is a tendency among the privileged classes to develop neuroses and among the exploited classes in developing psychosis, occurs when situation of over-repression. In this regard, Schneider is correct. This tendency of individuals of the privileged classes develop neurosis in more-repressive situation it can be explained by the fact that it is a psychological problem that has the effect of an adaptation (problematic, but acceptable) to the society as it is organized. Psychosis, in turn, is already revealed psychological problem that mismatch. In Freud's conception, the conflict between id and ego is resolved differently in neurosis and psychosis:

"According to Freud, the neurotic 'id' conflicts with the 'ego', that is, the superego, which stifles the instinctive desire on behalf of frustrating reality. (...). In psychosis, on the contrary, the ego is the id of the service, the instinctive desire, that is, renounces frustrating reality in order to replace it with its illusory reality "(Schneider, 1977, p. 244).

In Freudian terms, the neurosis is prone to psychosis and superego to id (Schneider, 1977; Freud, 1976a). Thus, it is evident that psychosis tends to occur more frequently in the exploited classes and neurosis in the privileged classes. Neurosis is formed when there is an added repression and there is no establishment in a concrete individual, substitute satisfaction or strong persona and psychosis occurs in the same way. The difference is that in the case of neurosis, repression is enhanced by constraint, that is, beyond the manifestation of obstruction is the development of certain needs, capabilities, there is a constraint process for the development of certain behaviors, activities, values, feelings , etc., the individual fails to materialize. In the case of psychosis, the dissatisfaction of the remodeling process generates a fact in which part of the existing reality is replaced by an imaginary. The psychotic person is one who has a deep dissatisfaction with their situation and social relations, but has no denial mechanisms, because not condone the goals and values ​​posed by the bourgeois mentality, becoming socially inept. Psychosis produced as a defense mechanism denial of reality and its imaginary remodeling.

Thus, over-suppression generates psychological problems, and they assume different characteristics depending on other existing determinations. The class situation and other social determinations end up providing greater tendency to develop neurosis or psychosis.

Now that we have defined neurosis and its formation process, it observes its relations with capitalist society and social struggles. The relationship between capitalism and neurosis is evident from the consideration of the process of genesis of this psychic phenomenon. The general basis of neurosis is the repressive-coercive society that has more-repression and a high degree of coercion. Obviously, cases of neurosis existed in pre-capitalist societies, such as the case described by Freud's "demonic neurosis" in the feudal period of transition to capitalism (Freud, 1976b), but due to very different social processes and much lesser degree.

The neurotic individuals, as previously put possess inhibitory processes and difficulties in personal relationships, intellectual output, etc. With regard to the placement policy of the individuals concerned and its limits awareness neurotic individuals plays an important role.

"The outside world can not refuse impulses if not through ego. However, the external perceptions may be refused, perhaps, what might take part in a neurotic conflict. To occupy the traumatic neuroses is demonstrated by the collapse of the phenomenon and the lock outer perceptions, that the external world (perceptions) may be refused. In the psychoneuroses is a similar phenomenon: there are negative hallucinations representing the rejection of a certain portion of the outside world. There forgetfulness or misinterpretation of external events due goal of achieving the satisfaction of a desire; there is a whole class of bugs in a "proof by reality", which are produced under the pressure derivatives of unconscious desires or fears. When a stimulus causes painful sensations arise, it produces a tendency to reject not only the sensation but also the stimulus "(Fenichel, 1966, p. 156).

So the neurotic personality has limitations to recognize reality as it is and this is reinforced if we realize, as we place earlier this psychological problem primarily affects auxiliary classes of the bourgeoisie, which have dominant values ​​and reproduction of bourgeois mentality is one of the strong incentives for the formation of neurosis. The neurotic awareness tends to reproduce his basic insecurity, which causes rigidity in thought and inhibition in intellectual production. In addition, it tends to cause excessive fear of what is regarded as unknown or foreign, both in spatial sense and temporal (fear of the other and fear of change), and this promotes the desire for tighter control and hostility for anyone who escapes from control. In this sense, the neurotic person tends to adhere to conservative thought.

A major problem is the capitalist production process tends to produce a large number of neurotic persons, which means that the individual neurotic problems have social and political implications and becomes more intense when this affects many people, even more in certain historical moments. The rise of Nazism in Germany, for example, was based on initial neurotic people. The Nazi thought takes sharp neurotic characteristics. Hitler himself had a neurotic personality, although at very high levels and above average for a common neurotic. The Nazi own practice shows similarity with the neurotic characteristics: insecurity (national, fear of the "Jewish" and "Bolsheviks"); hostility (internally and externally) mainly with the "imaginary enemy" produced (Viana, 2007), striving for superiority (Nazi art, the Nazi army, "superior", as well as the ideology of the superior Aryan race, which was complemented by destruction of modern art "degenerate", euthanasia and eugenics of the Jews, the handicapped, etc.), authoritarian position and / or subservient, including intellectual plane.

The support base of Nazism was in, especially in the beginning, just the helper classes of the bourgeoisie ("middle class" or "petty bourgeoisie" according dominant ideological language). Reich takes the view that the fascist movement expresses a union of "petty bourgeoisie" and relates it to the "mass psychology":

"We find the answer to this question in the position of employees and small and medium employees. The average employee is itself worse economic situation than the average qualified workers; this further disadvantage is partly offset by the minimal prospect of a career, but above all for the employee, because of its future be guaranteed for life. Thus being in this situation of dependence in relation to established authorities, also is formed in this layer a psychological attitude of competition in respect of colleagues, who opposes the development of class solidarity. The social awareness of employee is not characterized by the target community awareness with their co-workers, but by their position in relation to public authority and will 'nation'. This position is a complete identification with the state power, the employee is an identification with the company it serves. It's so exploited as workers. Why does not develop like this a sense of solidarity? Because of its intermediate position between the authority and the proletariat. Underling from the top, it is forward-based representative of that authority and, as such, enjoys a certain moral protection (non-material). Found in sub-officers of the different armies the perfect formation of this psychological type of mass "(Reich, 1974, p. 47).

What Reich described above is the social position of helper classes, the capitalist sociability and its expression in bourgeois mentality. Undoubtedly, this expresses the dominant values ​​and their internalization in individuals belonging to the auxiliary class, but it is lived and experienced only differently by neurotic individuals who hold the same position. In neurotic individuals, it is manifested more intensely and provides the "vanguard" of the Nazi practice. No doubt, doctors and artists who joined the medicine and art Nazis early on tended to be neurotic, and so the fact to share with Nazi practices without much remorse or resistance, which many individuals auxiliary classes would and some effectively they made, even reproducing the dominant values. The most important is that not only Hitler was neurotic, but also much of the original core of Nazism consisted of neurotic individuals who have gained support from other neurotic individuals and non-neurotic sectors of the privileged classes, due to the social fear of revolution, Russian Bolshevism, the crisis and the lack of another solution, due to the failure of social democracy and widespread social competition.

In short, capitalism produces neurosis large portion of the population and this takes predominantly conservative positions, reproducing the dominant mentality. In times of crisis, non-neurotic individuals are affected by greater insecurity and take like behavior of neurotics and these, in this situation, they worsen further their conservatism, hostility and symbiotic relationship with authority (authoritarianism and subservience).

In rare cases the neurotic can align with the revolutionary forces or who claim to be "progressive". Many fail in this process forward and overcome even the strongest traits of neurosis, his most explicit symptoms. However, these cases are more the exception, for the overcoming of neurosis through revolutionary practice (the reformist does not allow this, as soon characterized as opportunism and form of social competition) only occurs when the individual can overcome largely the dominant values (which is hardly completely, even when it comes to authentic and most dedicated revolutionaries), leaving various feelings, thoughts, typical of modern society or auxiliary classes. In most cases, however, what happens is the formation of what Fromm calls the "rebellious character" (which is not necessarily neurotic because so many are due to other determinations, such as values, etc., without having psychological problems, but this being more aware):

"I define the rebel as deeply resentful person against authority for not being appreciated, loved, accepted. The rebel want to overthrow the authority because of his resentment and, therefore, constitute the authority to replace the overthrow. Very often, at the very moment it reaches this goal, befriended the very authority that fought so bitterly before "(Fromm, 1986, p. 116).

So neurosis is a serious social and political problem, let alone the existence of a large number of neurotics, especially from the perspective of human emancipation as it is an obstacle for her. Undoubtedly, these cases psychoanalytic therapy alleviates rather than plays a totally conservative role, because even affects mainly privileged classes. However, psychoanalytic therapy is not enough to solve the problem of individual neurosis and even to soften and "appease" neurotic individuals and reduce their hostility and destructiveness, does not present a real alternative to not question the dominant values ​​and the dominant mentality, not strengthen the response to the repressive and coercive socialization (family, school, etc.), do not point to the realization of the true human needs, their potential and real obstacles instead of proposing mere sublimation and strengthening persona.

In this sense, the revolutionary movement (of course this is not the pseudo-left of the case led by sectors of helper classes of the bourgeoisie, especially the bureaucracy, which reproduces all that is the basis of neurotic training) is an alternative that can point to an overshoot of neurotizantes foundations of capitalist society - and the class situation that reinforces this process - despite the difficulties in this regard, which resides in the inner conflicts of neurotic people. But beyond this practice derived from membership action that some individuals can do, there are other actions - which are not specific to this case - as countering the dominant values, criticism of ideologies, denunciation and rejection of bureaucratic organizations, presentation of a project self-managed society, etc., and more specific actions, such as theoretical work to clarify the social bases and capitalists of modern neurosis, clarifying the individual psychological distress and its total solution is not possible within the current society, among other things, that can affect the neurotic tendency of modern society, which is part of the wider struggle for human emancipation.

The development of the working brand fight, in their own setting process, foundation for a new form of sociability, based not on competition but on solidarity, not seeking fulfillment of socially constructed needs and vanities but authentic and essential needs, surpassing the process.

References

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Freud, Sigmund. Da Perda da Realidade na Neurose e Psicose. In: Obras Escolhidas Completas. Vol. XIX. Rio de Janeiro, Imago, 1976b.

Freud, Sigmund. Neurose e Psicose. In: Obras Escolhidas Completas. Vol. XIX. Rio de Janeiro, Imago, 1976a.

Freud, Sigmund. Uma Neurose Demoníaca do Século XVI. In: Obras Escolhidas Completas. Vol. XIX. Rio de Janeiro, Imago, 1976c.

Fromm, Erich. Anatomia da Destrutividade Humana. Rio de Janeiro, Zahar, 1975.

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