Thursday, August 11, 2016

Collective Mood, Id, Superid

In Group Psychology and Analysis of the Ego, Freud explains collective Mood as the product of "mutual induction" within a Mass, which he defines as "a temporary entity, consisting of heterogeneous elements that have joined together for a moment".  But, this diagnosis is plainly circular, since both mutual induction presupposes togetherness, and togetherness is created by mutual induction.  This problem is typical of the inadequacy of Atomism to Wholistic phenomena, such as collective Mood.  In Freud's version of Atomism, that inadequacy in the generation of collective Mood, of, for example, not only an angry mob, but an exhilirated theater audience, etc., can be formulated as that of Id to Superid.

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