Cultural Psychiatry: Ernest Becker at His Best 

An iconic cultural psychiatric diagnosis, Becker makes in the film: "From the point of view of social philosophy, it is the lie about the world that is killing the world." And, my fearanalysis says: "From the point of view of fearlessness, it is the (toxic) fear about the world that is killing the world." Becker continues: "The task of freeing ourselves from our cultural mental illnesses, society-wide madness is, not so that we may become gods, but simply that we shall see the world as it is, and make an intelligent adaptation to it, so that we secure a future for our children." Note, above, in this quote Becker is referring to the "immortality project" (as the unconscious or conscious attempt to be like gods, immortal, death-denying and victorious transcendent beings). That's a whole other critical topic, which I connect to what I call the 'Fear' Project (and, philosopher Ken Wilber connects to the "Atman Project" etc.). Sam Keen says in the film: "The world is terrifying....We have projects to alleviate that terror and have to be careful of those projects or they will double the quantity of evil in the world." He is referring to 'do-gooders' projects as much as those who intend to do harm in their projects--both, can be equally destructive. In my view, that means we have to diagnose and assess the 'fear'-based intentions in any project of so-called progress or what seems a lesser evil or a necessity. Yet, there is great resistance in all aspects of societies and individual's psyche's to facing up and being responsible for how we relate to and weaponize fear ('fear').

One colleague wrote me: "Hi Michael, I am listening and was reminded of this podcast interview open.spotify.com/episode/5TJ8norlRcWNfSkTuyibyb?si=273f821dc7f6452d , the Death Studies Podcast. They were speaking to Dr. Yasmin Gunaratnam about transnational dying and end-of-life care in cities, education with end-of-life care professionals, artful risky care, and using social science research, palliative art, hospitality, migration and death, climate crisis, etc…".

For any theoretical geeks out there, my latest theorizing on education is shaped by Becker-Wilber (and others) and I define it (roughly): Pedagogical Terroir Theory: one of my newest theories based on the understanding of terrior as used to describe the aesthetic-essence-characteristics (analogous to ‘personality’ or ‘character’) of a food substance produced; each child, and cohorts of children, in my theory are importantly soaked and marinated, consciously and unconsciously, in environments (within and outside of the cellular integrity of the organism) or contexts and meta-context-and this ought to be included in any educational (curricular-pedagogical-socialization) processes; in particular, the connection of “terror” to “terroir” is not without its meaningfulness-in that my use of pedagogical terroir is one already marinated in environments of terror(ism) and underneath that fear(ism)-toxic formations thereof (see Knowledge Theory)

To clarify, a real cultural psychiatrist (Charles M. Johnston) and futurist, whom I have known since the 1980s, has written a book 2015) on "Cultural Maturity: A Guidebook for the Future (with an introduction to the ideas of Creative Systems Theory). The point is, cultural psychiatry is not just about diagnoses of illness and their repair but equally is about how to help culture(s) and the cultural sphere itself to evolve and mature beyond its immaturities (much of which is not helpful to human potential and planetary heath and sustainability). Another topic, which greatly interests me... I quote Johnston (2015), "I've made the claim that if we wish our psychotherapeutic methodologies to support culturally mature outcomes, we need to apply fundamentally different kinds of approaches than psychologists and psychiatrists have drawn on in times past" (p. 497). I and others have called this a meta-perspective (Integral) lens.

For more info. on Ernest Becker, you can start here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Becker Also, when I use "Cultural" sphere/existence, that is part of a much larger critical integral (evolutionary) meta-theory I utilize which is not included in this video. I have written and talked about the meta-theory NCS (Natural, Cultural, Spiritual) in articulating a metaphysics of sorts for understanding these relationships. If you want more on it you can search the internet and/or let me know you are interested to hear more.

Implicit, in the background of my talk and educational philosophy is the context of raising children in and through the dynamics of The Fear Problem (Fisher, 2024), and within that is a mandate, arguably (a la Becker and others) that a pedagogical terroir is the ground of child development and learning. Another way to put it is, that children require continual (and appropriate) fearanalysis in classrooms, homes, institutions and other places they inhabit--in order for healthy, sane, sustainable growth, healing and development through to maturity. Someday, I'll write and lecture more on fearanalysis for/with children. note: fearanalysis is a term I have used for a few decades and is my take-off and application of psychoanalysis for the 21st century note: see Fisher, R. M. (2024). The Fear Problematique: Role of philosophy of education in speaking truths to powers in a culture of fear. Information Age Publishing.

Update (Jun 6/24): New movie trailer is up on RU-vid now for "All Illusions Must Be Broken" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ojDvF6KOClw.html

For more on my fearanalysis and feariatry (and Terror Management Theory) explorations go to: fearlessnessmovement.ning.com/photos/feariatry-and-tmt

I mention that central to this new film documentary "All Illusions Must Be Broken" is the critique of "education" in a broad sense, and that means how we start that with the child born onward. Indeed, we need a massive restoration and transformation of education. I am certainly not alone with this idea. But, let's call it an "Educational Renaissance," is required as soon as possible, according to education philosopher Zak Stein: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zFVoearUvP8.html

Twenty years earlier than the Laura Dunn interview of Sam Keen on Becker, you can hear Sam Keen (emotionally) talk about Becker: go to: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--7FaWj9i9XI.html (which is a clip from the documentary 2005, "Flight From Death" which is on terror management theory.

For more in depth connection between my fearwork and Becker's, see my 2020 article "Dialogue Between Terror Management Theory and Fear Management Education" prism.ucalgary.ca/items/a5c194da-47dc-4b8a-994f-a485d5252488

For 130 quotes from E. Becker, go to: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bhjrep9j8CU.html

For critics who think this kind of Beckerian analysis of culture (and fear of death/mortality) is way too much (too dark) and not very practical, I will hold off on my return critique but to rather just say, "You have a point." The more rational-scientific (shallow) way to probe into the problem of death is to ask the obvious question: "Why do we die?" As I just saw a whole video on the neurobiology of why we die. For many, I guess, that helps calm the edge of death anxiety.

For a sharp critic, and Beckerian thinker, and school teacher and philosopher see Sam N. Gillian Jr., ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wezFdmW2OOk.html

You may have gathered, Ernest Becker (and those who follow his work generally) are not much on celebrating overly the (W.) Enlightenment narrative of human progress and greatness of civilization (cultures)--that is, the superiority of reason and rationalism. I would label Becker an Endarkenment philosopher-theorist of the human potential and much like Carl G. Jung before him, Becker would no doubt have agreed with Jung's statement: "One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. This procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not very popular." (Jung, 1967, p. 265). That said, what I am talking about at the core of cultural psychiatry is "shadow work" by any other name, and, I also call it "fearwork" --or "fearanalysis" --also, not very popular.