The Jargon of Authenticity – Positive Psychology and Ideology

The following  is an earlier version of an essay that first appeared here. For those who are interested, it repeats and expands upon certain recent themes of mine, mainly regarding the political and ideological implications of certain psychology trends.

The Jargon of Authenticity

For those who are interested, I have a paper in Arena magazine wherein, via Adorno, I explore the links between so-called positive psychology and fascism, militarism and neoliberal ideology.

“There is no Us and Them”

Further to a Twitter discussion from today – there is a gulf between patient and clinician, between administrator and administered that cannot be wished away with the language of facile humanism. I have tried to touch on this point before, but as always, others say it better.

Action of the Structure – Then and Now

I recently read a newly-translated text by Jacques-Alain Miller, entitled ‘Action of the Structure’, a translation of which can be found here. The essay has been translated as part of the Concept and Form project, which undertakes to publish seminal papers from the 1960s French journal, Cahiers Pour L’Analyse. (For those interested, the website is a great resource on this obscure chapter of French philosophy).