When we are at war with ourselves, the malevolence is transmitted to others in the form of physical violence or mean-spirited action. We act out this hidden negativity in our families, communities, and in our foreign policy. It can also be acted out passively, as when our impoverished and unemployed citizens suffer greatly from our neglect.
Bergler has been criticized because he believed that homosexuality was caused by psychological issues. In his defense, his views on this subject were framed by the rigid attitudes of his era. His writings on the subject constituted about 10 percent of his total output. It would surely be unwise to discredit his whole body of work on the basis of these erroneous views.
Bergler was aware of the enormous resistance to his ideas and understood that we are determined emotionally, through our defenses, not to disturb the psychic status quo. He wrote once that his books were time-bombs that would go off in 100 years. Perhaps now, faced with impending calamity, we have become open-minded enough to take a second look at his ideas.
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Peter Michaelson is an author, blogger, and psychotherapist in Ann Arbor, MI. He believes that better understanding of depth psychology reduces the fear, passivity, and denial of citizens, making us more capable of maintaining and growing our (
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