This work outlines the key tenets of Ian's reworking of a range of influential 20th Century psychologists and psychologies as a means to address a centuries long, and gradually worsening, epidemic of psycho-spiritual suffering linked to terms such as 'disenchantment', 'chronic ennui', 'saturnine melancholoy', 'tristitia', 'anomie', 'alienation', 'taedium vitae', 'acedia', 'nausea', 'the Spleen' and so on. These maladies associated with these terms were thoroughly explored in Ian's 2000 publication, 'The Angel of Luxury and Sadness: the Emergence of the Normative Ennui Cycle'. This work represents a speculative theory of the psyche that adapts to the larger paradigm shifts of society and culture that helped mutate the problem of 'chronic ennui'. In short: Transpersonal Relational Psychology responds to the socio-cultural influences linked to our our modern epidemic of 'chronic ennui.'
This piece belongs to Historical, Psychological, Sociological and Political Writings, Vol. 4 of The Collected Works of Ian Irvine (Hobson). (Nonfiction)
Read: Prolegomena to a Transpersonal Relational Psychology, by Dr. Ian Irvine, copyright 2022 and 1998, all rights reserved.
Please note: this is a longish (i.e. around 25,000 words long) 9 Chapter theoretical/academic text that works to reimagine a range of complex psychological theories, in particular. The end goal, however, is a new model of the psyche based on alterations/revisions to theoretical elements found in Jungian, Freudian, Reichian, Bioenergetic, Groffian, Transpersonal, etc. psychologies. The work also concludes certain arguments about the woeful psycho-historical situation evident in many Westernised societies - so there is a sociological element, also, to the analysis. In short it is not a light 'pop psychology' read and should be avoided by readers looking for easily digestable non-academic material.
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I quite often refer to Alvin Toffler's two books on what change does to people. Around me so many are afraid in many ways and all of those terms that you have listed apply. They reach for straws as a way of simplifying their response to fear. The easiest simplification is just to do nothing and let God or gods take care of the whole thing. While the world in general better, I believe that most feel it is getting worse with all of the exceptions they hear about, distorting their reality.
I remain optimistic, because as a people, worldwide, we can adapt quickly to very dire circumstances. And we will, even if there is great loss of life and damage to the ecosystem that we caused and need to correct.
Ron