Erik H. Erikson (1902–1994)

If you're only familiar with the condensed version of Erikson described in undergraduate psychology and child development classes (the stages of psychosocial development, with their neat pairings of opposed forces) then actually reading his defining book may be a surprise. In this mixed bag of personal case studies, theoretical wanderings, and psychological biography, he approaches Freudian theory as if it were a large stalled vehicle, takes it apart to reveal some unusual components, and show more then reassembles the parts into something that looks a lot like the original but sometimes goes sideways instead of forward. I get the feeling that consistency was not his main interest, and I'm glad, since watching such an inquisitive mind move in so many directions at once is better than any number of little charts. show less

Among the most intriguing material in this book is when the author references his insights gathered from anthorpological assessment of Native Americans, such as:

"It is well to remember that the majority of men have never invented the device of beating children into submission. Some of the American Plains Indian tribes were (as I had an opportunity to relate and to discuss twenty years ago Childhood and Society) deeply shocked when they first saw white people beat their children. In their show more bewilderment they could only explain such behavior as part of an over-all missionary scheme an explanation also supported by the white people's method of letting their babies cry themselves blue in the face. It all must mean, so they thought, a well-calculated wish to impress white children with the idea that this world is not a good place to linger in, and that it is better to look to the other world where perfect happiness is to be had at the price of having sacrificed this world. This is an ideological interpretation, and a shrewd one: it interprets a single typical act not on the basis of its being a possible cause of a limited effect, but as part of a world view. And indeed, we now beat our children less, but we are still harrying them through this imperfect world, not so much to get them to the next one as to make them hurry from one good moment to better ones, to climb, improve, advance, progress."

Along with that, I have been avoiding psychoanalytical biographies considering such things as Moses and Monotheism as bordering on hubris. Getting into this work, I had no idea we could know so much in detail about an early 16th Century personage. Luther's annotated writings, early biographies, financial records, first person accounts and other primary sources complete a picture of the life of this important figure largely from his abruptly redirected university career to leading an out of control reactionary reform movement with a fully violent insurgency.

Admittedly, when I came across a phrase like "transfer neurosis" I let my eyes drop down to the next paragraph seeking more details on Luther's life and times. However, with Luther's confessed and documented obsession with diabolical derrieres, his own disordered bowel movements, and a mind or times given to anal metaphors it does appear subjecting his life to Freudian interpretation was bound to happen and I commend the author in his restraint in this direction. show less

The descriptions on this site and on the book-cover itself are terribly misleading. This is much less an examination of the rise of militant non-violence as a social phenomenon than it is a Freudian examination of Gandhi himself. It offers some interesting reflexions on Gandhi's motivations, and I like the focus of the book on a seemingly minor strike in Amedhabad. Erikson's writing style is also a plus, as he is very conversational and humble while otherwise strongly criticizing one of show more history's most beloved figures. Unfortunately, most of the book is so steeped in Freudian psycho-babble as to be not only significantly dated, but also really boring. show less

An interesting anthropological approach, riddled with dated views on sex, gender and roles, particularly in the first half.