{"id":238459,"date":"2023-07-03T12:00:11","date_gmt":"2023-07-03T11:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=238459"},"modified":"2023-07-02T12:18:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-02T11:18:36","slug":"the-psychology-of-truth-tellers-inspired-by-dan-ellsberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2023\/07\/the-psychology-of-truth-tellers-inspired-by-dan-ellsberg\/","title":{"rendered":"The Psychology of Truth-Tellers: Inspired by Dan Ellsberg"},"content":{"rendered":"

[This is a revision of an earlier piece on \u201c<\/em>The Psychology of Veridos\u2122 (Seekers of Truth and Justice) being repurposed as a tribute to Dan Ellsberg.]<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In my A Tribute to Daniel Ellsberg: The Inspiration for My Psychological Study of Moral Heroism and the Courageous Personality<\/a>, <\/strong>I described how Daniel Ellsberg was the source of my inspiration to develop a theory of \u201cthe Courageous Personality.\u201d His exceptional courage motivated me to study people who take great personal risks for truth, justice, peace, and freedom. I was curious about the psychology of the very few courageous souls who rise up in the face of oppression.<\/p>\n

I described our meeting at the 1995 International Psychohistorical Association<\/a> (IPhA) and the discussion after his keynote address regarding why he alone had the courage to expose the truth. After some discussion, I realized that it was up to me to answer my question. I thought that if interviewed several moral heroes that a pattern would be revealed to me.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. INTERVIEWEES<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I undertook to interview whistleblowers, human rights activists, movement pioneers, women who hid Jews from the Nazis, and judges at the Hague War Crimes Tribunals. I was honored to interview Joseph\u00a0Rotblat<\/a>, Nobel Peace Prize winner, the only scientist to quit the Manhattan Project when he discovered that Germany could not get the bomb;\u00a0Betty Friedan<\/a>, feminist pioneer; DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton;\u00a0and psychiatrist Peter Breggin<\/a>, who challenged overdiagnosis of ADHD, psychosurgery and the drugging of children. See Appendix 7<\/strong> for list.<\/p>\n

    I also interviewed several pioneers in the Israeli Palestinian peace movement and antinuclear Israelis recommended by Dan who were friends<\/a> of Mordechai Vanunu<\/a>, Israeli whistleblower who had exposed Israel\u2019s secret nuclear weapons program.<\/p>\n

    Dan was my first interview in his Washington DC apartment. I think we spoke for 5 hours before getting to the first question.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. DISCOVERING VERIDO\u2122: The Instinctual Drive for Truth and Justice<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Throughout my interviews, I felt a palpable sense that these risk takers did not undergo a conscious, deliberative decision-making process. They were incapable of holding untruths within their bodies and souls.<\/p>\n

      I reject the mindless adage that \u201cthe line between good and evil runs through every human heart.\u201d It obviously does not. These people demonstrate the capacity to resist and transcend the powerful pull towards evil.<\/p>\n

      I coined the term \u201cVerido<\/strong>\u201d, to describe\u00a0the\u00a0instinctual drive for truth and justice<\/strong><\/em>, like\u00a0\u201clibido\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0the instinctual energy and drive for sex.<\/p>\n

      The capacity for Verido, like libido, may be cultivated or squashed with familial and cultural practices in childrearing, education and socialization. Before the Holocaust, German childrearing practices were characterized by physical punishment, the demand for obedience, breaking the child\u2019s will and inducing submissiveness to authority. These were conducive to developing a followership for authoritarianism.<\/p>\n

      Veridos\u2122 <\/strong>may represent less than 5% of the population. They see through deception, investigate truth and have the strength to challenge official narratives. They are truly courageous and refuse to remain silent.<\/p>\n

      Suppression and Retaliation<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Historically truth-tellers who threaten the powers of domination have been shunned and silenced, like Galileo; demonized and imprisoned, like Antonio Gramsci, John Kiriakou, and Mordechai Vanunu; exiled, like Edward Snowden; punished and threatened, like Julian Assange; hung, like people who hid Jews from the Nazis; and burned at the stake like Giordano Bruno.<\/p>\n

      Because information is power, those who expose truth are a threat and must<\/strong> be punished and silenced by the forces of oppressive authority, who need a mystified, pliable populace.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. THE ARCHETYPE OF THE MORAL HERO<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Before presenting my findings, I wish to highlight the meaning of moral heroes for the collective psyche.<\/p>\n

        Carl Jung considered moral heroism as an aspect of the life force, Eros. The hero archetype personifies progressive elements in the collective psyche. It is the aspect of the Self that fights against the pulls toward regression, passivity, fear, and the desire to take refuge in the protective nurturance of the\u00a0Great Mother<\/a>. The collective symbol of the hero embodies the highest aspirations and ideals of a culture.<\/p>\n

        Jungian analyst,\u00a0Dr. Jerome Bernstein<\/a>\u00a0distinguished between the immature hero, who is <\/em>identified with physical strength, and mastery over death and the\u00a0mature hero<\/strong><\/em>, who is concerned with moral and ethical issues. Bernstein describes the immature hero<\/em> who embodies warrior energy as being anti-life, whereas the\u00a0mature hero <\/strong><\/em>is committed to the life principle.<\/p>\n

        Veridos exemplify high levels of psychological, moral, cognitive and political development, maturity and integration.<\/p>\n

        The Archetypal Drama of Liberation from Oppression<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Veridos arise in response to oppression, corruption, and deception to stimulate humanity to higher levels of consciousness, creativity and functioning – the stuff of myths and fairy tales.<\/p>\n

        Their devotion to relieving suffering transcends ego, which I define here as the sense of the Self as separate. Each Verido embodies a force of healthy development towards equality, freedom, truth, and justice. Some are moved to live on the front lines. Their work can contribute to\u00a0conscious evolution<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

        Veridos represent \u201cthe ideal of the Bodhisattva, the symbol of compassion \u2026 the ultimate expression of the underlying concern to lead every being to freedom from suffering, to enlightenment\u201d (Self and Liberation: Jung\/Buddhist Dialogue<\/a>).<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. SOME FINDINGS<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Some patterns emerged through my semi-structured interviews. Not every finding applies to every moral hero. In various combinations, they paint a picture.<\/p>\n

          My findings regard:<\/p>\n

          Family of Origin<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Life Experiences \u2013 Discrepant Realities<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Jungian Psychological Type<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Psychological Maturity and Human Development<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Psycho-Sociological Observations<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mothers (in one case an older sister, in one case a nanny) were described as being ahead of their time, competent, strong, having minds of their own, open-minded, compassionate, creative. They were unfulfilled (likely for women in previous generations). Their children felt the frustration of their mother\u2019s\u00a0unlived life<\/em>. They felt delegated to live out and fulfill her dreams. Sometimes the father was frustrated.<\/p>\n

          As a girl, Betty Friedan prayed for \u201csomeone who loved me best\u00a0and \u2018a work\u2019<\/em>\u00a0\u201c<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Families valued equality, justice, freedom<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Clear boundaries, limitations, sometimes a strict but loving father<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mother was regarded as subject, not object, and affirmed their child\u2019s subjectivity, individuality and uniqueness. If not the mother, another adult filled this function.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mutual recognition and close relationship with a member of opposite sex, a sibling, cousin, friend, relative. This applies to race in some cases. \u00a0There are developmental connections between consciousness of otherness –\u00a0the Other Sex<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0the Other Race<\/em>. With unshakable knowledge of the humanity of the Other (sex and race) they could not dehumanize and found intolerable the dehumanization of others.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As children, they demonstrated acts of individuality, integrity, intuition, and trust of a higher moral authority above conformity and conventional authority, or just having a mind of their own. One stood up for other children who were bullied. Some refused to comply with rules, got kicked out of school or quit activities in protest.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In adolescence they differentiated from family, carved out their own identity and values. They could reject parents\u2019 values, without rejecting parents. Family could tolerate difference and negotiate the tension between individuality and connection (neither enmeshed nor disengaged).<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Veridos were not enamored of hero figures. Since they manifested courageous aspects of the Self, they did not need to engage with these qualities through projection onto external heroes who embody disowned aspects of the self. Some admired Gandhi, King, Malcolm X, Einstein, Paul Robeson.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Capacity for intimacy, depth, richness in relationships. Several became co-creative couples.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Some felt special, the \u201cChrist child.\u201d\u00a0 Parents had confidence in them.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Alice<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Miller<\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>who attended my presentation at the International Psychohistorical Association in Amsterdam in 1999, urged me to emphasize that (most)\u00a0were not punished<\/a>\u00a0as children.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A few Veridos had harsh parenting and punishment but likely had one parent or other adults in their lives, relatives, teachers, etc. who recognized and affirmed them. I don\u2019t have enough data on this.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Child Holocaust survivor Samuel Oliner and his wife Pearl studied people who rescued Jews in\u00a0the Altruistic Personality<\/a>. They similarly found that families were close. Parents had moral principles and taught empathy, compassion, and equity for all humanity. They had lenient childrearing practices. They did not demand obedience. Hence, their children were not submissive to authority.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rather than physical punishment, parents used reasoning, a sign of respect and trust. By contrast,\u00a0child-rearing practices in Germany<\/a>\u00a0before the Holocaust were very strict and authoritarian. They demanded obedience to break the child\u2019s will, and were authoritarian and punitive to encourage toughness.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A\u00a0secure attachment pattern<\/a>, as opposed to anxious, avoidant and disorganized attachment patterns, is established in the first year of life. It optimizes development, empathy, trust, problem-solving, and openness to exploration. It is associated with taking risks.<\/p>\n

          5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 SOME PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF VERIDOS<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0Psychological Maturity. Emotional Intelligence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Capacity to Tolerate Ambiguity<\/strong>, to live in and negotiate the tension between the opposites, a sign of psychological health.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Strong egos<\/strong>, not\u00a0necessarily<\/em>\u00a0big egos. They operate at a level that transcends ego. (They are\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0necessarily ego-less either.) Jung said that to withstand such overwhelming opposition, the ego must be equal to the whole world. They have a good connection along the ego-Self (higher Self) axis.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Not deterred by fear.<\/strong> Does not regress in the face of fear.<\/strong>\u00a0 Others who sometimes function at higher levels regress under fear, lose higher level brain functions and may be vulnerable to psychological manipulation.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Low on hypnotic susceptibility<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0the Tellegen Absorption Scale<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>low on “openness to absorbing and self-altering experiences (Tellegen & Atkinson<\/a>, 1974).<\/p>\n

          \u00a0Jungian Psychological Types<\/a>.<\/strong> This was a fascinating and significant discovery. The theory of Psychological Types requires explanation beyond the scope of this article. \u00a0Some may be familiar with the Myers-Briggs<\/a>\u00a0typology, which developed, tested and popularized Jung\u2019s model, rendering it widely usable as a tool in training, business and beyond.<\/p>\n

          I found that Veridos take in information more through their highly developed functions of sensing or intuition, categorized as Perceiving<\/strong>, rather than those who use the functions of thinking and feeling, categorized as Judging<\/strong>. Veridos rely on direct experience rather than concepts. They have heightened, fluid perceptive abilities which enable them to take in new information directly and in more detail, and to see through propaganda and preconceived notions, social conventions and belief systems.<\/p>\n

          Perceiving<\/strong> has a parallelism with the idea of being \u201cdata driven.\u201d One is influenced by direct observation of facts, and is able to change theories and beliefs according to new factual evidence, as opposed to being \u201ctheory driven.\u201d Those who are \u201ctheory driven\u201d filter the world through preconceived notions and filter information to fit into their beliefs or cognitive frames.<\/p>\n

          Intuition\u00a0<\/strong>is not a hunch or a guess. It is a\u00a0form of knowledge<\/em>, perceived through the unconscious, rather than on the level of concrete reality. Intuitives can see below the surface and intuit into the future. Some can feel when they are being lied to. They sense incongruencies in a story that don\u2019t add up. They detect something hidden and anticipate trajectories.<\/p>\n

          Sensation<\/strong>\u00a0types perceive empirical reality directly and immediately through their heightened senses. People with a strong sensation function are good with directions, mechanical abilities, science, finance, and possibly the arts.<\/p>\n

          LIFE EXPERIENCES – Discrepant Realities, Ruptures, Paradise Lost, and Failed Enactment<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Many Veridos had formative life experiences I call \u201cdiscrepant realities.\u201d Others are vicariously affected by historical traumas like genocides, massacres, displacement, and slavery.<\/p>\n

          One\u2019s primary experience of dignity, equality, freedom, safety, and love was ruptured in some way, generating a sense of paradise lost, failed enactment, the pain of preventable loss and suffering. The discrepancy feels physiologically intolerable.<\/p>\n

          Processed by their developed psychological functions of intuition, sensation and feeling, they experience tension between current reality and what is possible, and their inalienable human right. They feel a deep urge to repair and devote their lives to restoring the ideal state. Examples include:<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0Paradise lost<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Nelson Mandela<\/strong>\u00a0said, \u201cI wasn\u2019t born with a hunger for freedom. I was born free…\u201d Having lost the freedom he had known, he devoted his life to regaining freedom.<\/p>\n

          Nobel Peace Prize winner<\/p>\n

          Joseph Rotblat<\/strong>, Nobel Peace Prize winner, born in 1908, grew up in a secure, prosperous household in Russian Poland. With the outbreak of World War 1 the family lost everything and went into poverty.<\/p>\n

          RFK, Jr.<\/strong>, \u201cCamelot Lost,\u201d<\/strong> experienced the assassinations of his uncle and father, and his knowledge of hidden forces motivates his fierce courage and relentless dedication and readiness to \u201cdie with my boots on.\u201d I wish him a long, healthy, successful life.<\/p>\n

          Vera Sharav<\/strong>\u00a0– Child survivor of the Holocaust, whose intuition and refusal to comply at age 6 saved her life. She founded the\u00a0Alliance for Human Research Protection<\/a>, highlighting the role of doctors then and now,\u00a0and Nuremberg Code<\/a>, Never Again is Now.<\/p>\n

          Betty Friedan – <\/strong>Feminist pioneer Betty Friedan was the first to name and research \u201cthe problem that had no name.\u201d She struck a huge collective nerve when she described a malaise felt by privileged women in suburbia in her groundbreaking \u201cThe Feminist Mystique.<\/em>\u201d She wrote, \u201dThere was a strange discrepancy between the reality of our lives as women and the image to which we were trying to conform, the image that I had come to call the feminine mystique. I wondered if other women faced this schizophrenic split, and what it meant.\u201d<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0Failed Enactment – See <\/strong>Dan Ellsberg\u2019s Story<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>of the accident that could have been prevented.<\/p>\n

          Veridos, motivated by experiences of loss, betrayal, and failure, have an inner knowing that a better world is possible. They palpably feel it in their bodies and strive to overcome the discrepancy.<\/p>\n

          6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 PSYCHOLOGICAL MATURITY AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Around 1990 I was developing a \u201cunified field theory\u201d model of human development, called \u201cEros Development,\u201d inspired by Erik Erikson\u2019s eight stage model, Jane Loevenger\u2019s scale of Ego Development, Piaget\u2019s model of genetic epistemology and others.<\/p>\n

          I read a disturbing fact, that 50% of Americans did not achieve \u201cformal operations,\u201d the capacity for abstract thinking. I also read that business school students graduated at a lower level of ego development than when they entered. When listening to political discourse, I began coding development levels. \u00a0Much reflected immature, concrete, black-and-white thinking.<\/p>\n

          Veridos exemplify high levels of psychological, moral, cognitive and political development, individuation and self-actualization. Their lives and work are dedicated to stimulating humanity to higher levels of functioning.<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Loevenger\u2019s Model of Ego Development<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(see full chart below\u00a0in APPENDIX 2<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

          Loevenger\u2019s stages, from birth, are:<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 pre-social (undifferentiated)<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Impulsive<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 self-protective<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 conformist<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 self-aware<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 conscientious<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 individualistic<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 autonomous<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 integrated<\/p>\n

          Stage E4 Conformist<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \u201cBelonging to group is paramount; \u201cright\u201d and \u201cwrong\u201d simply determined by social convention; self and others viewed in terms of \u201cfit\u201d with group norms; simplistic and banal inner life.\u201d<\/p>\n

          At the conformist stage we identify with our group, act as a member of the group, and treat others as members of groups. I believe that nationalism, submerging one\u2019s identity with the group (as opposed to patriotism perhaps), is associated with the conformist stage of development and below.<\/p>\n

          People who may not feel good about themselves can feel pride and esteem by binding their identity to being part of a group that is good and superior. Those who criticize and blame the group are psychologically threatening at a core level and will be fiercely resisted.<\/p>\n

          Psychologically, at the conformist stage, one has not yet constructed a concept of the individual. One emerges from the conformist stage with budding self-awareness, followed by conscientiousness, individualism, autonomous and then integrated.<\/p>\n

          I hypothesize that Veridos are at least \u201cAutonomous\u201d<\/p>\n

          Stage E8 Autonomous<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \u201cFreedom from excessive striving and achievement; search for self-fulfillment; recognition of individual human complexity; tolerance for ambiguity and paradox; deepened respect for autonomy of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

          Stage E9 Integrated<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \u201cSelf-actualization; not fully described.\u201d<\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Moral Development\u00a0– Kohlberg and Gilligan \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

          In the 1950s and 1960\u2019s psychologist\u00a0Lawrence Kohlberg<\/a> extended Piagetian cognitive development into a model of moral development based on interviews with boys about moral dilemmas. Kohlberg\u2019s theory consists of three levels and six stages of moral development. The levels are\u00a0Preconventional level,\u00a0Conventional and Postconventional or principled level. See\u00a0APPENDIX 3.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Developmental psychologist\u00a0Carol Gilligan challenged Kohlberg\u2019s work<\/a>\u00a0in her groundbreaking book\u00a0In a Different Voice<\/a>\u00a0(1982). Gilligan conducted research with girls and women, discovering that females use different reasoning. While males are concerned with rules, females are more concerned with caring. Gilligan attributes changes in moral reasoning to changes in relational thinking rather than cognitive thinking.<\/p>\n

          The distinction between a justice orientation and a mercy orientation is shown here in KOHLBERG’S SIX LEVELS OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT.<\/a><\/p>\n

          \u201cOn Kohlberg’s model, moral development is the development of an autonomous self, capable of being motivated by abstract principles understood as a kind of “mathematical” solution to conflicts of interests.\u201d<\/p>\n

          \u201cOn Gilligan’s model, moral development is the development of a self-in-relation.\u00a0\u00a0Morality is understood in terms of the preservation of valuable human relations.\u00a0\u00a0Progress from stage to stage is motivated by increasing understanding of human relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

          Males and females can possess both justice and care orientations, but one is more prevalent. The more evolved and mature we are, the more likely we are to integrate both dimensions.<\/p>\n

          Hopefully, the gender split is less rigid than it was in the 1980s, and Veridos in particular are crying out for mercy.<\/p>\n

          You guessed it. Veridos are at the highest Post-Conventional stage. See APPENDIX 3.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Individuation<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 (Jung and others), self-actualization (Abraham Maslow), and\u00a0Heinz Kohut<\/a>\u2019s \u201cnuclear program of the self.\u201d<\/p>\n

          Individuation is to live according to one\u2019s design, to become whole, realize one\u2019s Self. A goal of Jungian analysis is expanding consciousness by awareness and integration of unconscious contents from one\u2019s shadow, anima\/animus (the complex of the opposite sex in one\u2019s psyche), and other unconscious complexes. It strives to develop balance in one\u2019s personality by developing one\u2019s inferior function. Following the horrors of World War II, Jung strongly believed that to resist tyranny, mass psychology and the potential destruction of the planet, it was critical for more people to become individuated.<\/p>\n

          \u201cIn the last analysis, the essential thing is the life of\u00a0individual. This alone makes history, here alone do the great transformations take place, and the whole future, the whole history of the world, ultimately springs as a gigantic summation from these hidden sources in\u00a0individuals.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

          — Carl Jung<\/a><\/p>\n

          \u201cResistance to the organized mass can be effected only by the man who is as well organized in his individuality as the mass itself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

          — Carl Jung<\/a><\/p>\n

          “Individualization does not shut one out from the world, but gathers the world to oneself.”<\/em><\/p>\n

          — Carl Jung<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

          \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Differentiation of Self from Family of Origin<\/a>\u00a0(Murray Bowen)<\/p>\n

          The goal of Bowen\u2019s family of origin therapy is to establish a sense of self, one\u2019s own personality, and one\u2019s own path despite (family) pressures and expectations. It involves developing one\u2019s ability to hold an \u201cI position\u201d while maintaining relationship rather than disengaging. One is able to resist\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cgroupthink,\u201d conformity, and the need for approval. That makes it possible to think clearly, handle criticism and conflicts constructively and creatively.<\/p>\n

          7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OPPOSITE OF THE AUTHORITARIAN PERSONALITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Studies on the Authoritarian Personality have exposed the underlying psychopathology in those who have caused the greatest damage to humankind. I was struck by the high level of psychological development and integration in Veridos, as compared to the Authoritarian Personality.<\/p>\n

          Authoritarianism and Human Development<\/strong><\/p>\n

          I had an \u201cAha!\u201d experience, concluding, among other things, that \u201cthe Courageous Personality\u201d is\u00a0the psychological opposite<\/em>\u00a0of \u201cthe Authoritarian Personality<\/a>,\u201d a concept that emerged from the body of work developed after the Nazi Holocaust to explain genocide, anti-Semitism, fascism, ethnocentrism and anti-democratic attitudes.<\/p>\n

          After World War II, many psychologists studied the psychological forces and conditions that allowed the Holocaust, including Stanley Milgram, on obedience, Phil Zimbardo\u2019s Stanford Prison Experiment, Solomon Asch on pressures to conform, and many others. Adorno, et all developed a theory of the\u00a0Authoritarian Personality.<\/a>\u00a0(<\/em>More on this at the end. See my chart below).<\/p>\n

          Erich Fromm was a prominent social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist and humanistic philosopher. Here are excerpts from his 1957 article on \u201cThe Authoritarian Personality<\/a>.\u201d (Note the term applies to the\u00a0followers<\/em>\u00a0of authoritarian leaders. Bolds<\/strong>\u00a0are mine.):<\/p>\n

          What they have in common, what defines the essence of the authoritarian personality is an inability: the inability to rely on one\u2019s self, to be independent, to put it in other words: to endure freedom.<\/p>\n

          The opposite of the authoritarian character is the mature person<\/strong>: a person who does not need to cling to others because he actively embraces and grasps the world, the people, and the things around him.<\/p>\n

          \u2026\u00a0the individual\u2019s goal must be to become his own authority<\/strong>; i.e., to have\u00a0a consciousness in moral issues, conviction in questions of intellect, and fidelity in emotional matters<\/strong>. However, the individual can only have such an inner authority if he has matured enough to understand the world with reason and love.\u00a0The development of these characteristics is the basis for one\u2019s own authority and therefore the basis for political democracy.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

          Comparing Authoritarianism and the Courageous Personality<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Here is my comparison of the Authoritarian Personality with the Courageous Personality, written around 1997. The left side of the chart is from p.164 in\u00a0The Authoritarian Personality, Adorno, Frankel-Brunswick, Levinson, and Sanford<\/em>.<\/p>\n

          \n
          \n
          \n\"\"<\/picture>\n
          <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

          8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0CONCLUSIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Living in this incredible time of existential danger and great promise, there is value in raising consciousness about the too few courageous people who have made personal sacrifices to speak truth, expose secrets, and challenge oppressive authority. They are uplifting humanity.<\/p>\n

          Childrearing – Can we cultivate more Veridos?<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Consider psychohistorian Lloyd DeMause<\/a>\u2019s observation that \u201cpsychoclass<\/a>\u201d emerged from a\u00a0particular style of childrearing<\/em>, and Alice Miller\u2019s work on the harms of punishment in childhood, which can make people hypnotically susceptible and obedient to authority. \u00a0The difference in childrearing between Veridos and authoritarians is undeniable.<\/p>\n

          The use of harsh physical and psychological punishment in patriarchal authoritarian cultures results in higher incidences of avoidant attachment patterns, associated with more problems in adulthood that negatively impact society.<\/p>\n

          Some can be helped with therapy, social support and corrective experiences, but it would be best to prevent the damage in the first place. Years ago, realizing the harms of childhood punishment, the\u00a0German Parliament<\/a>\u00a0banned corporal punishment.<\/p>\n

          \u201cGerman parents nowadays prefer to use dialogue rather than physical punishment to correct wayward children, while traditional virtues such as strict punctuality, orderliness and discipline are no longer considered as important.\u201d\u00a0German parents go off corporal punishment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

          This should cultivate the development of more Veridos. We could benefit from mass education in childrearing practices.<\/p>\n

          The immunity of the nation depends entirely upon the existence of a leading minority immune to the evil and capable of combating the powerful suggestive effect. \u2014 C. G. Jung, The Symbolic Life, para. 1400.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          MORE JUNG QUOTES <\/strong>(emphasis added)<\/p>\n

          From the blurb of <\/strong>The Undiscovered Self<\/strong><\/em>,\u00a0<\/strong>First published January 1, 1961:<\/p>\n

          One of the world\u2019s greatest psychiatrists reveals how to embrace our own humanity and resist the pressures of an ever-changing world.<\/p>\n

          In this challenging and provocative work,\u00a0<\/em>Dr. Carl Jung\u2014one of history\u2019s greatest minds\u2014argues that civilization\u2019s future depends on our ability as individuals to resist the collective forces of society. Only by gaining an awareness and understanding of one\u2019s unconscious mind and true, inner nature \u2014\u201cthe undiscovered self\u201d\u2014can we as individuals acquire the self-knowledge that is antithetical to ideological fanaticism\u2026. Jung compellingly argues that only then can we begin to cope with the dangers posed by mass society – \u201cthe sum total of individuals\u201d\u2014and resist the potential threats posed by those in power.<\/p>\n

          Indeed, it is becoming ever more obvious that it is not famine, not earthquakes, not microbes, not cancer but man himself who is man\u2019s greatest danger to man, for the simple reason that there is no adequate protection against psychic epidemics, which are infinitely more devastating than the worst of natural catastrophes.<\/p>\n

          The supreme danger which threatens individuals as well as whole nations is a psychic danger. Reason has proved itself completely powerless, precisely because its arguments have an effect only on the conscious mind and not on the unconscious.<\/p>\n

          The greatest danger of all comes from the masses, in whom the effects of the unconscious pile up cumulatively and the reasonableness of the conscious mind is stifled. Every mass organization is a latent danger just as much as a heap of dynamite is. It lets loose effects which no man wants and no man can stop.<\/p>\n

          It is therefore in the highest degree desirable that a knowledge of psychology should spread so that men can understand the source of the supreme dangers that threaten them. Not by arming to the teeth, each for itself, can the nations defend themselves in the long run from the frightful catastrophes of modern war. The heaping up of arms is itself a call to war. Rather must they recognize those psychic conditions under which the unconscious [tsunami-like] bursts the dykes of consciousness and overwhelms it.\u00a0\u201d \u2014 The Undiscovered Self<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

          Only a few\u00a0individuals\u00a0succeed in throwing off mythology in a time of a certain intellectual supremacy–the mass never frees itself. <\/em><\/p>\n

          — Psychology of the Unconscious<\/a><\/p>\n

          The mass State has no intention of promoting mutual understanding and the relationship of man to man; it strives, rather, for atomization, for the psychic isolation of the\u00a0individual. The more unrelated\u00a0individuals\u00a0are, the more consolidated the State becomes, and vice versa.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

          For, in order to turn the individual into a function of the State, his dependence on anything beside the State must be taken from him.<\/p>\n

          It is the individual’s task to differentiate himself from all the others and stand on his own feet. All collective identities . . . interfere with the fulfillment of this task. Such collective identities are crutches for the lame, shields for the timid, beds for the lazy, nurseries for the irresponsible.<\/p>\n

          The achievement of personality means nothing less than the optimum development of the whole individual human being. It is impossible to foresee the endless variety of conditions that have to be fulfilled. A whole lifetime, in all its biological, social, and spiritual aspects, is needed. Personality is the supreme realization of the innate idiosyncrasy of a living being. It is an act of high courage flung in the face of life, the absolute affirmation of all that constitutes the individual, the most successful adaptation to the universal conditions of existence coupled with the greatest possible freedom for self-determination. To educate a man to this seems to me no light matter. It is surely the hardest task the modern mind has set itself.<\/p>\n

          Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate. —\u00a0The Undiscovered Self<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

          _____________________________________________<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

          Acknowledgement and much gratitude to David Schonbrunn for help with editing, clarity and being a sounding board.<\/em><\/p>\n

          \"\"<\/a> Diane Perlman, PhD\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0is a clinical and political psychologist, devoted to applying knowledge from psychology, conflict studies and social sciences to designing strategies and policies to reverse nuclear proliferation, to drastically reduce terrorism, reduce enmity, and to raise consciousness about nonviolent strategies for tension reduction and conflict transformation. She is a visiting scholar at the School for <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, is active in\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span>Psychologists for Social Responsibility,<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>the <\/i><\/span><\/span>TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>,<\/i><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>and on the Global Council of Abolition 2000. Some of her writings can be found on her websites, <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>www.consciouspolitics.org<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> \u00a0and \u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span>www.SanityandSurvival.com<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0Email: <\/i><\/span><\/span>dianeperlman@gmail.com<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

          Go to Original – coronawise.substack.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          This is a revision of an earlier piece on \u201cThe Psychology of Veridos\u2122 (Seekers of Truth and Justice) being repurposed as a tribute to Dan Ellsberg.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":151766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[2299],"class_list":["post-238459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transcend-members","tag-daniel-ellsberg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238459"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":238460,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238459\/revisions\/238460"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}