In this incisive and controversial book, Richard Stivers rejects genetic explanations of psychological problems, arguing instead that the very organization of technological societies is behind the pervasive experience of loneliness. In its extreme form, loneliness assumes pathological dimensions in neurosis and schizophrenia, which reflect the contradiction between power and meaninglessness that characterizes modern life. Loneliness, in its many manifestations, seems to be the price we must pay for living in a technological world. Yet nurturing family, friend, and community ties can mitigate its culturally and psychologically disorganizing power. This book is a clarion call for a renewal of moral awareness and custom to combat the fragmentation and depersonalization of our technological civilization.
Author(s): Richard Stivers
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 208
Foreword ix......Page 10
Acknowledgments xiii......Page 14
Introduction 1......Page 16
1 Technology, Character, and Personality 9......Page 24
2 Technology and Stress 33......Page 48
3 Culture and Psychological Conflict 55......Page 70
4 Culture and the Neurotic Need for Affection and Power 75......Page 90
5 Compulsive and Impulsive Styles 93......Page 108
6 Narcissism and Depression 105......Page 120
7 Paranoia and Schizophrenia 125......Page 140
8 Shades of Loneliness 141......Page 156
Index 145......Page 160
About the Author 149......Page 164
