Psychopathology and world politics / Ralph Pettman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pettman, Ralph.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Personality and politics.

World politics--Psychological aspects.

World politics.

Psychology, Pathological--Social aspects.

Psychology, Pathological.

Political science.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (256 p.)

Place of Publication:

Hackensack, N.J. : World Scientific, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This unique work looks at the relationship between psychopathology and world politics. What happens when the brain/mind ceases to function properly? How does this impinge on world affairs? What is to be done, for example, when a leader ceases to act in a seemingly sane fashion and yet still commands the loyalty of those who maintain him or her in office? What is to be done when a leader's advisers seem rational but are clearly not? Indeed, what is to be done when a whole society goes insane? This is to raise more questions than a single work can adequately answer. In lieu of a comprehensive ac

Contents:

Preface; About the Author; Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Chapter 1: What is Psychopathology?; Who is Normal and Who is Not?; The Political Implications of Defining Normality; The Modernist Conception of Consciousness; Organic or Physical Causes; Mental or Psychological Causes; Chapter 2: Psychopathology and World Politics; Psychopathological Approaches as Reductionist; Psychopathological Approaches as Not Reductionist; The Modernist Project Again; Global Conflict; Global Conflict and the Unconscious; International Politicians and Psychopathology; Richard Nixon; Adolf Hitler

Psychopathology and International PoliticiansParanoia; Narcissism; Hysteria; Phallocentrism; Conclusion; Chapter 3: Denial; Forms of Denial; Benign denial; Pathological denial; The Psychoanalytic Concept of Denial; Beyond the Psychoanalytic Concept of Denial; Stages of Denial; The Cultural Component of Denial; The Psychopathology of Nuclear Deterrence; Who is Most "In Denial" Here?; Publics; Strategists; Decision-makers; How Sane are State Leaders?; Masochism and Sadism; What is to Be Done?; Conclusion; Chapter 4: Truth; What Purpose Does Truth-Telling Ostensibly Serve?; What is Truth?

Modernity Yet Again, and Its Various ArticulationsThe "Truth" About "Japan" and Japanese Approaches to Conflict Resolution; What is "Japan"?; The "truth" about Japan as a modernist culture; The "truth" about Japan as a traditionalist culture; The "truth" about Japan as a hybrid culture; A "Japanese" approach to the global issue of conflict resolution; Japanese modernism and the truth about conflict resolution; Japanese traditionalism and the truth about conflict resolution; Japanese hybridity and the truth about conflict resolution; Conclusion; Chapter 5: Delusion

Defining Delusion: The Lay ApproachDefining Delusion: The Medical Approach; Defining Delusion: The Problem with "Falsity"; Societal Delusions; Is Pragmatism the Best Way Forward?; The Epistemological Issues that Pragmatism Hides; The Most Radical Epistemological Issue of Them All: The "God Delusion"; The Atheist's Argument; Defining "god" in a self-serving way; Defining "god" in a non-self-serving way; Bohm's Implicate Order; Rees's Six Cosmic Numbers; Taylor's Epiphany; Is the potential for an epiphany part of the brain's "hard-wiring"?; A Third Way?; The Atheists' Fallback Position

The Mystic RejoinderConclusion; Chapter 6: Reality; Modernity and Reality; The Solomon Islands; Reality Construed in Terms of the "West" as Opposed to the "Rest"; The Solomon Islands: Competing conceptions of a politico-cultural reality; The Solomon Islands: Competing conceptions of the politico-strategic reality; The Solomon Islands: Competing conceptions of the politico-economic reality; The Solomon Islands: Competing conceptions of the politico-social reality; Conclusion; Conclusion; References; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

981-4338-70-2

OCLC:

858227679