Fascist States of Mind: Individual Psychology and Group Functioning

ABSTRACT A fascist state of mind may refer to a political ideology as well as an internal psychological state. Extremist right‐wing ideology associated with nativism and xenophobia vilifies “others” so that they may be violently devalued and attacked. In some individuals, splitting and projective identification enable a pathological organization of the mind to defend against exposure to shameful vulnerability. Doubt, complexity, and inner conflict are eliminated to create a simplified, rigid, and violent mindset, producing idealization and denigration. In this paper, we consider Rosenfeld's (1987) description of destructive narcissism and Bollas' (1992/2012) depiction of a fascist state of mind to explore possible links between an individual's psychopathological experience and the destructive processes that contribute to the development of oppressive societies and totalitarian states.