Living by the manual: Ego-oriented social character – pathogenic effects of globalization

Abstract

According to Erich Fromm and a relational psychoanalytic approach, changing economic and social requirements always impact human beings and their psychic structure. Because globalization leads particularly to a blurring of boundaries and limitations, the formation of a new character orientation that is driven to construct reality anew without limitations can be observed as a reaction in progress. The pathogenic effects of globalization can be studied through the analysis of this new character formation and the uncovering of repressed, unconscious feelings that characterize the new personality type, especially in regard to their sense of identity, their way of relating to others, and their de facto loss of ego strength – in contrast to the enacted “ego unlimited.” Finally, some aspects of transference and countertransference, as well as some particular defense reactions with which we psychoanalysts are confronted in the treatment of patients suffering from the pathogenic effects of globalization, will be discussed.

Keywords:

• Ego-orientation
• postmodern character formation
• unconscious ego-weakness
• delimitation
• loss of identity

Notes

¹A condensed paper was presented at the IFPS Forum XV “Identity and Globalization. New Challenges for Psychoanalysis” in Section 3: “Pathologies of the New Century: What to Analyze?” at the Marriott Santiago Hotel, Santiago de Chile, on October 17, 2008.

²I gave up my original participation in this study, after the quantitative methodology used was to be used to measure productive character orientation as well. For such an examination, however, because of the expected rationalization on the part of the respondents, a dynamic understanding of character and a proportional operationalization using profound interpretational methods is indispensable.