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The Psychology of Totalitarianism

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The Psychology of Totalitarianism

By: Mattias Desmet
Narrated by: Dan Crue
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About this listen

We bear witness to loneliness, free-floating anxiety, and fear giving way to censorship, loss of privacy, and surrendered freedoms. It is all spurred by a singular, focused crisis narrative that forbids dissident views and relies on destructive groupthink.

Totalitarianism is not a coincidence and does not form in a vacuum. It arises from a collective psychosis that has followed a predictable script throughout history, its formation gaining strength and speed with each generation—from the Jacobins to the Nazis and Stalinists—as technology advances. Governments, mass media, and other mechanized forces use fear, loneliness, and isolation to demoralize populations and exert control, persuading large groups of people to act against their own interests, always with destructive results.

In The Psychology of Totalitarianism, world-renowned Professor of Clinical Psychology Mattias Desmet deconstructs the societal conditions that allow this collective psychosis to take hold. By looking at our current situation and identifying the phenomenon of “mass formation”—a type of collective hypnosis—he clearly illustrates how close we are to surrendering to totalitarian regimes.

©2022 Mattias Desmet (P)2022 Dreamscape Media, LLC Political Science Politics & Government Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Psychology & Interactions Mental Health
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Wow! What an incredible book. I thought I might get an interesting psychological explanation of the last few years but I go so, so much more. This book weaves psychology with philosophy, history, sociology, religion, the esoteric and even quantum physics and it does so flawlessly. And it gives Hope as we head into a frightening new chapter of this mass formation. We'll done Mr Desmet!

Mind blowing and brilliant!

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The author writes with such exquisite clarity about the dangers of scientific reductionism and the technocratic world view, and the remedy, which is right in front of our faces with every interaction we have with each other. I loved and saw the infinite potential in his concept of the Art of Full Speech with regard to truth telling and real engagement with the mystery of the creative process of life itself.. Please read... this is one if those books that can truly change the world.

Simply Brillant

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Loved it. Not sure that the people who should read it will, but if they do, they will be given the opportunity to scratch the surface of modern human society. Thoroughly interesting. Perhaps my favourite Audible book. Will definitely look for more by the same author.

Broad, interesting, incisive

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This book has given me a different way to look at the current events that i considered a conspiracy. Well written, easy to comprehend.

Explains alot

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This book is well timed. While there may be many more years ahead of us before the collapse of the totalitarian ideology we are experiencing it is books like this that could help humanity fast track that process.

Clarity and truth

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