'How can civilization be saved?': Psychoanalysis in the anticipation of World War Two in Britain

Swanson, Gillian

Abstract

This paper considers the ways that psychoanalysis was understood to provide a distinctive insight in to the ‘problems of civilization’ and a means of understanding the psychic dynamics of social groups in the anticipation of war in Britain in the 1930s. It examines the eclipsing of contemporary models of cultural attachment and social feeling, sentiment development and equilibrium of character as the basis of the effective management of social relations, as Freudian models that proposed destructive urges and aggression as the basis of character appeared more relevant to the dynamics of escalating national conflict.

Citation

Swanson, G. (2009, July). 'How can civilization be saved?': Psychoanalysis in the anticipation of World War Two in Britain. Paper presented at Structures of Violence and Conflict: 2nd Conference of the International Society for Cultural History, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Structures of Violence and Conflict: 2nd Conference of the International Society for Cultural History
• Conference Location: University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
• Start Date: Jul 1, 2009
• End Date: Jul 1, 2009
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: social feeling, love, altruism, democracy
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/994871