Purity and Unity: Narcissism and Destructiveness in Nationalistic and Fundamentalistic Ideologies

Abstract: In recent decades, Western societies have been exposed to increasing dynamics of change and crisis as a result of ongoing globalization, and of flight and displacement in many regions of the world. The insecurity and humiliation of being more exposed to global developments than being able to influence them leads many people to seek social security. As a result, populist and far-right ideologies have become increasingly attractive to some. There has also been a revival of authoritarian thinking. Based on Erich Fromm’s concept introduced in the 1930s, its current forms are described in terms of the narcissistic self- and other-dynamics. Social science data show that, in addition to authoritarian thinking, a narcissistic longing for a homogeneous society makes populist and far-right ideologies increasingly attractive. If we analyze this phantasm of a homogeneous nation, we find at its root unconscious fantasies of care and sibling rivalry, of purity and the idea of the Other, the fantasy of a protective whole. Such ideal-narcissistic states of purity and homogeneity do not tolerate divergences and are therefore associated with paranoia and violence. Ultimately, the irreversibility of difference and ambivalence in human life is denied.