Freud defined groups by shared object replacing the ego ideal

Evidence

With this, we reach the climax of Freud’s argument. He moves from there to a brief comparison between hypnosis and being in love, and to a characterization of group formation in terms of equivalential attachments forged between people as a result of their common love for a leader (a love which has, of course, been inhibited of its sexual impulses). The definition of the social bond follows from this analysis: ‘A primary group of this kind is a number of individuals who have put one and the same object in the place of their ego ideal and have consequently identified themselves with one another in their ego.’ — Ernesto Laclau, On Populist Reason, 147

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Freud allowed groups to gain the individual’s traits through organization — Ernesto Laclau, On Populist Reason, 149; Freud explains crowd phenomena as individual regressions, not a group mind — Theodor W. Adorno, The Culture Industry: Selected Essays…, 320; Freud resolved the social bond as brotherly identification plus father-love — Ernesto Laclau, On Populist Reason, 147

Broader Connections

• Freud explains crowd phenomena as individual regressions, not a group mind #responds-to (0.85) — Theodor W. Adorno, The Culture Industry, 320
• Freud resolved the social bond as brotherly identification plus father-love #expands (0.72) — Ernesto Laclau, On Populist Reason, 147