{"product_id":"the-psychology-of-totalitarianism-9781645022756","title":"The Psychology of Totalitarianism","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"This is an amazing book . . . [Desmet is] one of the true geniuses I've spoken to . . . This book has really changed my view on a lot.\"--Tucker Carlson\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"[Desmet] is waking a lot of people up to the dangerous place we are now with a brilliant distillation of how we ended up here.\"--Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe world continues to exist in the grips of mass formation--a dangerous, collective type of hypnosis--as we bear witness to loneliness, free-floating anxiety, and fear giving way to censorship, loss of privacy, and surrendered freedoms. It is all spurred by a singular, focused crisis narrative that forbids dissident views and relies on destructive groupthink.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDesmet's work on mass formation theory was brought to the world's attention on \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Joe Rogan Experience\u003cem\u003e and in major alternative news outlets around the globe. Read this book--now in paperback, ebook, and audiobook--to get beyond the sound bites!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotalitarianism is not a coincidence and does not form in a vacuum. It arises from a collective psychosis that has followed a predictable script throughout history, its formation gaining strength and speed with each generation--from the Jacobins to the Nazis and Stalinists--as technology advances. Governments, mass media, and other mechanized forces use fear, loneliness, and isolation to demoralize populations and exert control, persuading large groups of people to act against their own interests, always with destructive results.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Psychology of Totalitarianism\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, world-renowned Professor of Clinical Psychology Mattias Desmet deconstructs the societal conditions that allow this collective psychosis to take hold. By looking at our current situation and identifying the phenomenon of \"mass formation\"--a type of collective hypnosis--he clearly illustrates how close we are to surrendering to totalitarian regimes.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith detailed analyses, examples, and results from years of research, Desmet lays out the steps that lead toward mass formation, including: \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eAn overall sense of \u003cstrong\u003eloneliness\u003c\/strong\u003e and lack of social connections and bonds\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA \u003cstrong\u003elack of meaning\u003c\/strong\u003e--unsatisfying \"bullsh*t jobs\" that don't offer purpose\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eFree-floating \u003cstrong\u003eanxiety\u003c\/strong\u003e and discontent that arise from loneliness and lack of meaning\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eManifestation of\u003cstrong\u003e frustration\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eaggression\u003c\/strong\u003e from anxiety\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eEmergence of \u003cstrong\u003ea consistent narrative\u003c\/strong\u003e from government officials, mass media, etc., that exploits and channels frustration and anxiety \u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn addition to clear psychological analysis--and building on Hannah Arendt's essential work on totalitarianism, \u003cem\u003eThe Origins of Totalitarianism\u003c\/em\u003e--Desmet offers a sharp critique of the cultural groupthink that exists throughout society. He cautions against the dangers of our current cultural landscape, media consumption, and reliance on manipulative technologies and then offers simple solutions--both individual and collective--to prevent the willing sacrifice of our freedoms.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"We can honor the right to freedom of expression and the right to self-determination without feeling threatened by each other,\" Desmet writes. \"But there is a point where \u003cstrong\u003ewe must stop losing ourselves in the crowd to experience meaning and connection\u003c\/strong\u003e. That is the point where the winter of totalitarianism gives way to a spring of life.\"\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"One of the most important books I've ever read.\"--Ivor Cummins, \u003cem\u003eThe Fat Emperor Podcast\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Chelsea Green Publishing Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/12\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781645022756\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.00d","brand":"Mattias Desmet","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44524555829429,"sku":"9781645022756","price":21.21,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_c4e7249b-cd0a-490a-81b6-6028d8b1fa8c.jpg?v=1722920032","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-psychology-of-totalitarianism-9781645022756","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}