1st Edition

Social Symptoms of Identity Needs Why We Have Failed to Solve Our Social Problems and What to do About It

By Mark Bracher Copyright 2009
    314 Pages
    by Routledge

    316 Pages
    by Routledge

    Explains how our major social problems, including crime, violence, terrorism, war, substance abuse, and prejudice, are the result of efforts by their perpetrators to maintain a secure identity, or sense of self. It locates the root causes of these social problems and counterproductive responses in certain identity-damaging social and cultural phenomena that force identity to defend and maintain itself by socially harmful means.

    Preface -- Identity and the Causes of Social Problems -- Introduction -- The nature of identity and its role in social problems -- Social Problems as Symptoms of Identity Needs -- Delinquency, crime, and violence -- Terrorism and war -- The Role of Identity in the Failure to Solve Social Problems -- Phobic objects, subalterns, and enemies as resources for identity maintenance -- Identity-damaging social and cultural forces -- Social Change and Identity Development -- Promoting benign identity contents -- Decommissioning harmful defences -- Promoting identity integration -- Promoting more inclusive identity structures -- Conclusion -- Psychological symptoms as expressions of identity needs -- Multiple self-motives and self-esteem

    Biography

    Bracher, Mark