Psychological Gain Through Collective Anxiety

„This process yields a psychological gain. Firstly, the anxiety that previously roamed through society as a tenebrous fog is now linked to a specific cause and can be mentally controlled via the strategy put forward in the story. Secondly, through a common struggle with “the enemy,” the disintegrating society regains its coherence, energy, and rudimentary meaning. For this reason, the fight against the object of anxiety then becomes a mission, laden with pathos and group heroism (for example, the Belgian government’s “team of 11 million” going to war against the coronavirus). Thirdly, in this fight all latent brewing frustration and aggression is taken out, especially on the group that refuses to go along with the story and the mass formation. This brings an enormous release and satisfaction to the masses, which they will not let go of easily. Through this process...“

Mattias DesmetMattias Desmet explains how collective anxieties create psychological gain and social cohesion through common enemies.

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Mattias Desmet is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Ghent.

The text describes how collective anxieties, by focusing on an enemy, can psychologically stabilize societies.

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Mattias Desmet|fear, masses, psychology, society, team

Mattias Desmet teaches Clinical Psychology at the Department of Psychoanalysis and Clinical Consulting at the University of Ghent. His department's research is strongly clinically and practice-oriented. He focuses on theoretical and practical aspects of psychological counseling and psychoanalysis.