Psychoanalytic Political Libidinal Economy of Neoliberal Bankers and Anti-Capitalist Protesters

“The group’s suggestion induces emotion, reduces intellect

and it is imitation that compels the individual to obey contagion.”

(Sigmund Freud, 1921, Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, Vol. 18, S.E.)

Ayla Michelle Demir MA BScBrunel University, Department of Psychology, School of Social Science.

Postgraduate Conference Presentation on 14 June 2014 at The Centre for Psychoanalysis, Middlesex University.

Slide 2: Economic Crisis and Socio-Political Discontent

2008 Financial Crisis 2011 London Stock Exchange Occupation

Financial Risk Taking Austerity

Free Market advocates Anti- Capitalist protests

Investment Banking Fraud Anti- Public Spending Cuts protests

Money Laundering and Interest Rate Rigging Income Inequality Protests

Stock Markets fell and crashed Increasingly Unequal Society

Banks/Financial Institutions collapsed Social Injustice Protests

Government Intervention: Bail Outs and Rescue Packages Anti- Students and Taxpayers paying for Banks debts

Conservative Party ‘split’ into: Anti- Government Bank Bail Outs

Middle Class Neoliberal Elites and Working Class UKIP Role of Charities and Church in providing Food Banks

Slide 3. Psychoanalytically Informed Research Methodology

Self - a human being that experiences internal psychosomatic and external social relations and cultural phenomena.

Individuation - developmental process of becoming identified as an Individual distinguished from others.

Individual - a unique, particular, specific person, as distinct from a group, possessing his/her own needs and goals.

Subject - the condition of being ‘influenced’ by emotions, images, ideas, beliefs, culture, society, political authorities.

Subjectivity - a developmental Socialization process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies.

Psychosocial - learning from individual and social experiences, both Intra- and Inter- Psychical and Relational.

Society - a large group of people in the same geographical or social territory involved in interpersonal relationships.

Culture - is a living totality of the subjectivity of any given society, constantly undergoing transformation.

Intersubjective - a psychological concept of the relation between people emphasizing our inherently social being.

Subjective – Objective - how and where to draw lines between Self and Other or Subjective and Objective.

Psychoanalytic - Conscious Subconscious Unconscious, Sexuality, Instincts, Emotions, Thoughts, Sensations, Perception, Relations,

Association, Reality, Fantasy, Desire, Transference, Counter-Transference, Defence Mechanisms such as Avoidance,

Resistance, Denial, Splitting of Good and Bad, Projective Identification, Idealisation, Rationalisation, Repression, etc.

Slide 4. Identity Politics “Good ideas are the strongest ghosts.” Jean Laplanche

POLITICS PSYCHOANALYSIS

Democracy, Human Rights Instincts, Affects, Anxiety, Desire, Satisfaction, Frustration.

Self - Group Interest Increases of Emotions and Enjoyment Sexuality, Interest, Influence, Association, Relation.

Lobbyists, Representation Cathexis: Emotional & Mental Investment Investment (Cathexis), Ideas. Ideals, Fantasy, Hysteria.

Regulation - Governance Reduction of Rational Intellect Imitate, Emulate, Repetition, Memory.

Inclusion - Exclusion Imitation of Behaviours, Dress, Customs, Ideas. Defences, Denial, Disavowal, Resistance.

Citizens - Control Conformance to Dominants Ideals and Fantasies Mis/Recognition, Infection, Assimilation, Contagion,

Socio-Cultural Influence Language, Ideas, Opinions, Beliefs. Conformance, Conversion, Transformation.

Minority Influence Identification

SOCIO-CULTURAL GROUPS IDENTITY POLITICS

Race, Ethnicity, Nationality, Age, Generation, Identified with Social / Cultural GroupsGender, Sexual Orientation, Single, Married, Parents,Ability/Disability, Medical Condition, Identified with Political IdeologiesHistory, Culture, Class, Musical Literary Artistic preferences,Ideology, Politics, Conservative, Socialist, Liberal, Green, Empowerment, Consciousness Raising, Diversity, Equality.Religion, Catholic, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist,Vocation, Profession, Hobbies, Sport. Lobbying: attempt of a Group to ‘Influence’ government policy.

Slide 5. Psychoanalysis and the Two Spirits of Capitalism

< ------------------------------ Psychosexual Energy Distributions along various Axes ----------------------------- >

Id and Ego Superego

Individual Society

Economic Social

Internal External

Force Form

Agency Structure

Affective, Libidinal, Drive, Interest, Investment. Discursive, Representational, Symbolic, Meaning.

Economic Behaviour, Emotional Investment. Ethical Political Regulation

Consumption, Enjoyment, Pleasure. Denial, Asceticism.

Spending Money Saving and Sacrifice

Luxury, Wealth Postponement and Deferral of enjoyment

Expression, Indulgence. Calculated enjoyment

Freedom and Autonomy Tabooing of enjoyment, Inhibition, Prohibition.

Society of Enjoyment Society of Prohibition

Orgasm, Jouissance Renunciation of enjoyment

Play, Leisure, Passion. Social Order and Professional Duty

Ambiguous, Artistic, Spiritual Law, Order, Ethical, Moral.

Slide 6. Real, Imaginary, Symbolic Economics.

Nature Culture SocietyFree Market Economy = Id Imaginary Ideology Fantasy = Ego Government = Symbolic Superego

Life & Death Instincts (Sigmund Freud, 1915) Psychodynamic, Interconnected Organisation, Institution, Structure,Animal Spirits (John Maynard Keynes, 1936) Need, Desire, Demand, Supply, Frustration, Regulation, Control, Containment,Spirits of Capitalism (Yiannis Stravrakakis, 2010) Idealisation, Imitation, Reproduction. Form, Law, Rule, Prohibition.

Freudian Dualistic / Triangular Models Lacanian Tripartite Model

Id & Ego < -------------------------------- > Super Ego

Life DeathSurvival DefenceEnjoyment ProhibitionOral AnalNeed, Demand Material Resources, SupplyForce FormTaking, Greed, Spending. Giving, Self-Objects, Saving. Affective Investment Symbolic WeightFree ExpensiveLiberal Conservative 3 Rings of the Borromean Knot

Id Ideal-Ego Super Ego-Ideal Ideal-Ego = Imaginary (Mirror Stage)Real Image Symbol Id = Real Ego-Ideal = SymbolicReality Mass Media Society/Law

Freud, Sigmund. (1915) Instincts and their Vicissitudes. Vol. 14, S.E. Lacan, Jacques. (1966) Écrits.

Slide 7. References

Freud, Sigmund. (1915) Instincts and their Vicissitudes. Vol. 14, The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud. The Hogarth Press and The Institute of Psychoanalysis, London.

(1921) Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego. Vol. 18, Standard Edition.

Glynos, Jason. & Stavrakakis, Yannis. (2008) Lacan and Political Subjectivity: Fantasy and Enjoyment in Psychoanalysis and Political Theory . Subjectivity, Vol. 24, pg.256-274.

Keynes, John Maynard. (1936) The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. Macmillan, London.

Lacan, Jacques. (1998[1973]) Encore: On Feminine Sexuality, the Limits of Love and Knowledge. Edited by Jacques-Alain Miller. Translated by Bruce Fink. W.W. Norton & Co., New York.

(1977[1966]) Écrits: A Selection. Translated by Alan Sheridan. W.W. Norton & Co., New York.

Salecl, Renata. (2010) ‘Why Choice Makes Us Anxious’, in The Tyranny of Choice. Profile Books Ltd., London.

Stavrakakis, Yannis. (2010) Symbolic Authority, Fantasmatic Enjoyment and the Spirits of Capitalism: Genealogies of Mutual Engagemen t, in Cederström, Carl. & Hoedemaekers, Casper. (Eds) Lacan and Organization. Mayfly Books, London.

Webber, Max., Baehr, Peter., & Wells, Gordon. (2001[1905]) The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Translated by Talcott Parsons with an introduction by Anthony Giddens. Routledge Classics, London.