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Rule of Left Psychology (self.196)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by rambling_lunatic to c/[email protected]

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A lot of people on the left seem to hold The Authoritarian Personality by Adorno et al. and The Mass Psychology of Fascism by Reich in very high regard.

These are very old books. The Adorno book has been criticised for methodological reasons. The Reich book is very rooted in Freudian psychoanalysis. Yet they still seem to be widely read and discussed.

I am not a psychologist. Can psychologists please tell me if these works are still considered to be useful and supported by the available evidence? I feel awfully skeptical when someone backs their point up by citing them and I want to know whether I should unclench my arse.

Thank you :)

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Lemmy doesn't really have psychologists, maybe one or two. that's a doctoral level title, mind you.

I'm a master's level clinician who reads a lot. no one really talks about that kind of stuff in the counseling world. it's there and it's worthwhile, like most philosophy, but it isn't informing practice regularly unless someone seeks it out. to draw a parallel, I see many people quote Frankl but I rarely see his books on their shelves. I encounter even less Adorno

I think not much had changed in the last few decades that would make Adorno's points irrelevant, too.