Reading List: Psychoanalysis, Critical Theory, and the Authoritarian Personality
- Eric Anders
- Dec 23, 2024
- 3 min read
Reading List: Psychoanalysis, Critical Theory, and the Authoritarian Personality
This comprehensive reading list combines foundational texts, psychoanalytic studies, and contemporary interdisciplinary analyses to provide a robust exploration of authoritarianism and the authoritarian personality. The works are organized by thematic focus for ease of reference.
I. Foundational Works of Critical Theory
Theodor W. Adorno, Else Frenkel-Brunswik, Daniel Levinson, Nevitt Sanford – The Authoritarian Personality (1950)
The cornerstone text that examines authoritarian tendencies through a sociological and psychoanalytic lens.
Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno – Dialectic of Enlightenment (1944)
Explores the relationship between Enlightenment rationality, mass culture, and authoritarianism.
Martin Jay – The Dialectical Imagination: A History of the Frankfurt School and the Institute of Social Research, 1923–1950 (1973)
An essential history of the Frankfurt School, contextualizing The Authoritarian Personality within broader critical theory.
Rolf Wiggershaus – The Frankfurt School: Its History, Theories, and Political Significance (1994)
A comprehensive analysis of the Frankfurt School, including Adorno and Horkheimer's work on authoritarianism.
Stefan Müller-Doohm – Adorno: A Biography (2005)
Detailed exploration of Adorno’s life and intellectual contributions, including his work on authoritarianism.
Andrew Arato and Eike Gephardt (Eds.) – The Essential Frankfurt School Reader (1978)
Key essays from Frankfurt School theorists on authoritarianism, ideology, and society.
II. Psychoanalytic Foundations
Sigmund Freud – Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (1921)
A foundational psychoanalytic text on group dynamics, authority, and submission.
Wilhelm Reich – The Mass Psychology of Fascism (1933)
Analyzes authoritarianism through sexual repression and character structure.
Erich Fromm – Escape from Freedom (1941)
Explores the psychological appeal of authoritarianism in modern societies.
Erich Fromm – The Sane Society (1955)
Examines societal structures that foster authoritarian tendencies and their psychological effects.
Karen Horney – Neurosis and Human Growth: The Struggle Toward Self-Realization (1950)
Investigates how societal pressures shape authoritarian character traits.
Melanie Klein – Envy and Gratitude (1957)
Explores aggression and projection, foundational concepts for understanding authoritarianism.
Otto Fenichel – The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis (1945)
Links neuroses to authoritarian personality structures.
Donald W. Winnicott – Human Nature (1988, posthumously published)
Focuses on environmental and developmental factors contributing to authoritarian tendencies.
III. Psychoanalytic Studies on Authoritarianism
Janine Chasseguet-Smirgel – The Ego Ideal: A Psychoanalytic Essay on the Malady of the Ideal (1984)
Examines the role of the ego ideal in authoritarian personality formation.
Vamik D. Volkan – Blind Trust: Large Groups and Their Leaders in Times of Crisis and Terror (2004)
Explores the psychological mechanisms underlying blind trust in authoritarian leaders.
Christopher Bollas – The Shadow of the Object: Psychoanalysis of the Unthought Known (1987)
Offers insights into unconscious structures that resonate with authoritarian ideologies.
Dominique Scarfone – The Unpast: The Actual Unconscious (2015)
Discusses the unconscious’s role in shaping character and political ideologies, including authoritarianism.
Joel Whitebook – Perversion and Utopia: A Study in Psychoanalysis and Critical Theory (1995)
Bridges Freudian psychoanalysis and critical theory, focusing on authoritarianism.
IV. Political Psychoanalysis and Interdisciplinary Approaches
Renata Salecl – Choice (2010)
Uses psychoanalysis to explore the paradox of choice and its connection to authoritarianism.
Elizabeth Ann Danto – Freud’s Free Clinics: Psychoanalysis and Social Justice, 1918–1938 (2005)
Situates psychoanalysis in its political and social context during the rise of authoritarian regimes.
John Forrester – Thinking in Cases (2016)
Examines case-based reasoning in psychoanalysis, illuminating authoritarian personality dynamics.
Stephen Frosh – Hate and the ‘Jewish Science’: Anti-Semitism, Nazism, and Psychoanalysis (2005)
Explores the relationship between psychoanalysis, authoritarianism, and anti-Semitism.
Andrew Samuels – Politics on the Couch: Citizenship and the Internal Life (2001)
Examines how internal conflicts manifest in authoritarian political ideologies.
Bruce Fink – A Clinical Introduction to Lacanian Psychoanalysis (1997)
Discusses Lacan’s theories on authority and the master’s discourse, essential for understanding authoritarianism.
V. Contemporary Reappraisals and Critical Theory
Wendy Brown – In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West (2019)
Uses Frankfurt School insights to analyze the resurgence of authoritarianism in contemporary politics.
Federico Finchelstein – From Fascism to Populism in History (2017)
Traces the connections between authoritarianism, fascism, and populism.
Richard Wolin – The Frankfurt School Revisited and Other Essays on Politics and Society (2006)
Critically examines the enduring relevance of Frankfurt School ideas, including authoritarianism.
Peter E. Gordon – Adorno and Existence (2016)
Connects Adorno’s philosophical concerns to his work on authoritarianism and mass psychology.
Mattias Iser and David Strecker (Eds.) – Critical Theory and the Critique of Society: On the Work of Axel Honneth (2018)
Explores the legacy of Adorno and Horkheimer in contemporary critical theory.
This reading list offers an in-depth look at the intersection of psychoanalysis, critical theory, and the study of authoritarianism, providing essential resources for scholars and students alike.
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