INTRODUCTION
I am not going to try to explain my Fear Management Theory (FMT) here in this short blog post. I more wanted to just make some noise in all the silence and/or hoopla in the post-Nov. 5 epoch of what in my mind is an event so grand as to "change everything"--and, I do not say this hyperbolically. I'm very serious. Nov. 5 will make 9/11 look like a pimple--but, that is what I envision in years to come [1]. History is being radically re-constructed on the North American continent.
My counter-response (of non-conformity, and rebelliousness; smile) was to not go on social media sites (other than my emails for work-related issues)--now, I still have not done so since Nov. 4th. It's a media fasting. Really useful. I have had a tonne of flowing energy and creativity. Of course, I am impacted by the election and the results of who is now Pres. of the USA. I have followed intensely US politics via my research and writing on Marianne Williamson, who has run for 2 presidency campaigns (2020, 2024)--but she only got so far and then dissolved out of the races). I'm quite steeped in the changes and dynamics of a highly hot American culture and political scene. However, my media fast was intended to 'keep out' what I didn't want to be bombarded by, and to 'let in' what I generated in my own experience and knowledge. It has been fantastic in that sense.
I don't mean to sound sado-masochistic and ignore-ant of what horrors are going on and will go on. I don't see any one leader or party to blame for the tragedy of the times. I am optimistic in my own unique way, and most people might think I'm cold-hearted or a foolish soul. I don't much give a damn what others think, at this point. I know the long hard scholarship and imaginative work I am meant to do--and, my goal is to enhance FMT--to evolve the theory and practices (i.e., praxis) to more refined levels. And in this post-Nov. 5 epoch, there are all the signs apparent this is a good time to name and grow this FMT. I am not doing it in isolation, and TMT (Terror Management Theory) is a close siamese twin of my work--both theories having been constructing for over three decades, independently for the most part, but my own work has tried to integrate them over the past several years. Not that that has been mutual. Yet, I persist that they ought to combine creatively--and join forces for these times of the 21st century. They have lots to learn from each other and lots of wisdom to offer the world--individually and collectively.
FEAR MANAGEMENT THEORY (FMT)
TMT and FMT have deep insights into the social psychology of totalitarianism, fascism, totalism and general patterns of such forms of "social movements" and political organizations and the ways people conform, disconform and/or try to stay silent and out of the conflicts. Desmet's (2022) scholarly study of totalitarianism (e.g., Stalin's and Hitler's approaches to leadership) is worthy of a read about now. Unfortunately, as I am reading Desmet, initially I see several good points but also flaws or incompletenesses and I believe the shortcoming really limit the value of his analysis in practice and theorizing about the 21st century. I think he comes up short because FMT and TMT are not included for starters. But, that's another issue for another blog later on. I want to quote something, which is really a conclusion of Desmet's book and position (remembering that he is a professor of clinical psychology and a psychologist in practice in Belgium): He wrote, "what characterizes the leaders of masses [and totalitarian regimes] is not greed or sadism, but their morbid ideological drive: Reality must and will be adjusted to the ideological fiction. Such [a] drive leads to a mental and emotional blindness, which can assume truly astonishing proportions." (p. 107) All kinds of people, across the political stripes can get attached to and become believers--and, this leads to what he calls "mass formations" (or a "mass psychology" of the group/herd).
I agree in part with Desmet's conclusion here, but it seems evident from my research into human behavior and societies, that "ideological drive" is only a surface symptom of much more powerful drives--e.g., the denial of death drive and self-esteem drive (see, for e.g., TMT). I would go much deeper into the ecologies of fear(lessness) in my own meta-motivational theory (and paradigm) of analysis, which even TMT misses. I won't outline this meta-motivational theory or FMT here in this short blogpost. I merely want to share some of my interests and share them in a poignant time in history--post-Nov. 5th--and share them with intention that both the "Right" and the "Left" and any others are welcome to engage with my fearwork and overall project. I'm moving quickly beyond seeing that any "one side" is the higher virtous ones over and beyond the other. This problem with ideological attachment and addictions is on both sides of the spectrum. I want to help out finding other ways to be 'good' humans on this earth and good citizens, etc. A much larger topic.
Just to say, however, FMT is endlessly fascinating to me and I have now cataloged some 30+ theories (and many models) that are part of and adjacent to FMT and its combining offering of a synthesis for how to live better in the 21st century. I am not saying I have the only way to go. Diverse ways to go is good--however, I am vigilant in my study and critiques to point out that humanity as a whole is far behind Fear. Fear is leading. You can perhaps reflect on that for awhile. Let's talk more about FMT and keep evolving it. Don't hesitate to contact me: r.michaelfisher52 [at] gmail.com
End Note:
1. I could just as easily be referring to Nov. 5 and what could turn out to be another "Red Scare" phenomenon as historians in the past of Americianism at its worst have documented well as a happening in the early 1950s. During what is also called "The McCarthy Era" (Red Scare) the American people were turning against each other in suspect and mistrust and fear that someone could be a "communist" and thus "anti-American" (traitor, or whatever the language). Now, Red Scare can have a different twist to it with Red States (Republican) overtaking the majority of the United States (starting to look not so united). Red Scare in a post-Nov. 5 can easily twist from "communist" to "leftist" (or some other version of social justice warrior turned into "terrorists"). The scare will be more subtle now compared to the 1950s. History is important and Timothy Snyder (2017) On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century" is a good starter book of resistance (although not adequate) for understanding aspects of totalitarianism, fascism and totalism (on this latter notion see the work of Robert J. Lifton (2014) Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism and more recently see Mattias Desmet (2022) The Psychology of Totalitarianism).
