The essence of my life's work is to establish the psychological sources of our attachment to various ideologies; show how the structures of these ideologies are shaped by the fantasies we project into them. Individual motivations tie in with cultural motivations; one cannot separate the power of discourse from our psychic relationship to discourse.

Cultural beliefs, ideas, etc. perform psychological functions for individuals--and this is why they become "dominant discourses." PEOPLE IMAGINE THAT THE WORLD GOES ON BY ITSELF: THAT IT IS SEPARATE FROM HUMAN BEINGS. That is why some theorists speak of “subjects” instead of individuals.

One can’t separate the political domain from the personal, psychological needs and anxieties that are PROJECTED OUTWARD into the world. The political world is subordinate to our personal worlds, but we don’t acknowledge this. We try to conceive of politics as an independent domain of activity that has an objective reality separate from the motives of individuals. Rather, the motives of individuals plug into ideological fantasies presented by people in the world. What “leaders” say must resonate with the desires and fears of individuals if these leaders are to become leaders.

Best regards,

Richard Koenigsberg