Authoritarian society collapse widens psychic-structure differences between classes
Evidence
In his first contribution to the ZfS, Fromm had noted in passing that, in the case of a serious crisis of the existing
authoritarian' society,the more a society collapses economically, socially and psychologically, and the more the unifying, formative force of society as a whole or of its ruling class decays, the greater are the differences in psychic structure in the various classes.’ — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 551
Categorization
- XREF: Echoes Marx’s prediction that crisis sharpens class distinctions, applied here to psychological structure rather than only economic position. — connects to: Horkheimer’s new psychology explained why class tensions stay latent — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 487; Economic class boundaries do not align with psychological character structures — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 565; Generalized fear dissolves class divisions and political distinctions — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 663 (+2 more)
- SEED: Essays angle: the psychological fragmentation of a collapsing order — how class-specific psyches diverge as unifying ideology decays.
- corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 551
Broader Connections
- Authoritarian political systems can shape minds that preserve the status quo
#expands(0.78) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2932 - Generalized fear dissolves class divisions and political distinctions
#responds-to(0.75) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 663