Fascism and Democracy in the Human Mind, by I.W. Charny

forthcoming book Spring 2006 (books will be shipped in April), University of Nebraska Press:

"This is one of the most important books of this decade.”
Douglas H. Sprenkle, psychologist, Purdue University.
“Momentous. . . . This is the most innovative piece of scholarship I have ever read."
Robert Hitchcock, anthropologist, University of Nebraska

Cloth, 2006, 544 pp., 0-8032-1550-9, $49.95

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Fascism and Democracy in the Human Mind
A Bridge between Mind and Society
By I. W. Charny

“Charny argues persuasively that fascism and democracy are not only political systems but ways of organizing the mind. His book builds a convincing link between societal evil and the mind of the individual perpetrator. . . . [This is] one of the most important books of this decade.”—Douglas H. Sprenkle, a professor of marriage and family therapy and the author of Effectiveness Research in Marriage and Family Therapy.

“Momentous. . . . [This is] the most innovative piece of scholarship I have ever read. Fascism and Democracy in the Human Mind is extremely timely and it offers suggestions about ways to go forward in conflict resolution at the societal, family, and individual levels. I know of no other books in psychology or Holocaust and genocide studies that have linked societal and individual processes in as innovative a way as this book does.”—Robert K. Hitchcock, an anthropologist and coeditor of Endangered Peoples of Africa and the Middle East: Struggles to Survive and Thrive.

“Charny suggests new principles and approaches for individual and family therapy as well as for reducing the danger of future war, genocide, and terrorism. This is a hopeful and useful book, despite also being a wakeup call, insofar as it demonstrates how deeply-rooted the fascist mentality can become in individuals and societies.”—Eric Markusen, a sociologist and the coauthor of The Genocidal Mentality: Nazi Holocaust and Nuclear Threat.

“Charny’s understanding that fascism and democracy are not just political systems, but psychological states or forces gives us powerful tools for a holistic approach to fighting much that is evil. Charny’s theory gives us a way of understanding that we are all on a continuum, from Hitler as perhaps the purest example of a mind given over entirely to ‘totalitarianism,’ to those who enact a ‘democratic’ life. As many of us are, I am certainly far from the ‘democratic’ ideal, but struggling toward it.”—Henry Theriault, an associate professor of philosophy and coordinator of the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Worcester State College in Massachusetts.

What might you have done if you had been caught up in the Holocaust? In My Lai? In Rwanda? Confronted with acts of violence and evil on scales grand and small, we ask ourselves, baffled, how such horrors can happen—how human beings seemingly like ourselves can commit such atrocities. The answer, I. W. Charny suggests in this important new work, may be found in each one of us, in the different and distinct ways in which we organize our minds.

An internationally recognized scholar of the psychology of violence, Charny defines two paradigms of mental organization, the democratic and the fascist, and shows how these systems can determine behavior in intimate relationships, social situations, and events of global significance. With its novel conception of mental health and illness, this book develops new directions for diagnosis and treatment of emotional disorders that are played out in everyday acts of violence against ourselves and others. Fascism and Democracy in the Human Mind also offers much-needed insight into the sources and workings of terrorism and genocide. A sane, radical statement about the guiding principles underlying acts of violence and evil, this book sounds a passionate call for the democratic way of thinking, which recognizes complexity, embraces responsibility, and affirms life.

I. W. Charny is the editor in chief of the Encyclopedia of Genocide and the executive director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem. A practicing clinical psychologist and family therapist, he is a professor of psychology and family therapy at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the current president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and a past president of the International Family Therapy Association.
Fascism and Democracy in the Human Mind

Table of Contents
Author’s Preface

Chapter 1: What is the Original ‘Mind Software’ We Humans Receive at the ‘Factory’? We Start from a Weakminded, Rigid, and in effect Fascist Mind Position and then Need to Grow Up, but Do We?

Chapter 2: The Choice between Fascist Mind and Democratic Mind: What Chance Do We have of Changing Our “Fascist Minds” to “Democratic Minds”?

Chapter 3: The Fascist Believer: Totality, Overcertainty, and Suppression of Information

Chapter 4: The Fascist Slave: Obedience, Conformity, and Intolerance of Dissent

Chapter 5: The Fascist Fist: Superiority, Excessive Power, and Violence Against Self and Others

Chapter 6: The Fascist Denier: ‘I Never Did Any Harm’ – Denials of Doing Harm to Oneself or To Others

Chapter 7: Democratic Mind as the Healthy Alternative to Fascist Mind: The Joy of Life Process and Opportunity

Chapter 8: Psychotherapy as Anti-Fascism and Training for Democracy: The Psychotherapy Room as a Dedicated Experience in Democracy

Chapter 9: Discovering Applications of Democratic Mind in Everyday Life: How to Use our Minds Safely, Wholesomely, and Creatively

Chapter 10: Unified Theory of Democratic Mind in the Self, Family, and Society: A Vision of More Decent Human Beings who do Less Harm to Themselves and Others

Closing: The Care and Maintenance of the Bridge between Mind and Society: The Privilege and Responsibility of Working to Achieve Democratic Minds and Societies

Epilogue/About The Author: Israel W. Charny’s Background as a Psychotherapist and as a Peace Researcher Studying Genocide