Affiliation vs. Alienation

Contemporary psychoanalytic thinking has been marked by a "social turn" – a shift in emphasis from internal and endogenous process to those that prioritize the social and political context in which psychological life is shaped. In this discussion of Rozmarin's work, the concept of "belonging" is considered as a bridge between the individual and the community. The entities to which one belongs and the dynamics that underline the choices attendant to belonging are considered as constituents of both identity and unconscious processes. An individual's unconscious is viewed as nested within the broader historical and social configurations of life and structured by these forces. Reference is made to the work of Erich Fromm and Erik Erikson as aides in understanding the power of the social to shape both identity formation and social affiliation. The dynamics of conflict between affiliation and alienation are considered as a constituent of contemporary movement toward authoritarian political structures.