Psychoanalytic critique of capitalism

The psychoanalytic critique of capitalism is concerned with the unconscious dimensions of the capitalist economy, whether they are expressed in the workplace, the mall, or the corporate boardroom. It includes but also seeks to go beyond purely cognitive approaches. It is particularly interested in the harmful consequences of the ‘capitalist unconscious’ on individuals, groups, and ecologies. This area of psychosocial inquiry can help explain the persistence of capitalism, the socialization processes into it, its psychosocial impacts, and the conditions for constructive change towards post-capitalist futures. This entry presents a number of key critical contributions along four broad thematic streams: libidinal repression, repetition compulsion, hedonistic will-to-power, and narcissistic rationalizing. There have been complementarities as well as disagreements between these different contributions. Over time, debates might have changed in emphases and concepts, but a large part of the core questions has remained the same and as relevant as ever.