Power, Interest and Psychology: Elements of a Social Materialist Understanding of Distress

by David Smail

Therapeutic psychology suggests that we are essentially self-creating and able to heal ourselves emotionally. This view reflects the wishful thinking necessary for the success of consumer capitalism, but it does not reflect the way things are. Smail examines how our experience of ourselves and our conduct can be explained in terms of the social operation of power and interest.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Philosophy, Politics, Counselling, Psychiatry

123 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I have some understanding of how the Athenians felt towards Socrates: he, like Smail, was quick to find faults but rather reticent about offering solutions. Infuriating!

Sometimes this made me feel disheartened about the prospects of ever achieving meaningful change, whether on a personal/individual level or on a societal/global level. The overwhelming forces of power and interest outlined by Smail are so monumental and seemingly impervious to challenge that his exhortation that It is incumbent upon us to do what we can, even if we cannot do much, seems woefully inadequate. Such light that breaks through is in the call for solidarity amongst the weak against the strong, in the face of forces that understand the strength of numbers and which accordingly seek to atomise society into self-interested individuals preoccupied, and so distracted, with personal gratification.

Smail's stance on clinical psychology and therapy is damning, positing that professional vested interest gives rise to the view that the causes and cures of distress are personal and internal, and so amenable to change in a therapeutic setting, whereas he sees the actual causes of distress to be mainly environmental and cultural, with roots far beyond the horizon visible to most, and thus amenable only to political solutions. The best a therapist can do is to be a companion in this existential theatre and hope that some degree of clarity in respect of the bounds of personal agency arises, freeing people from the burden of assuming responsibility for the causes of their own misery.

Whilst I have felt a certain bleakness in the picture Smail has painted, I find myself largely persuaded by him. Quite how this will influence my own practice as a therapist, I'm not yet sure.

[Kamilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was shocked to learn that he had passed in August 2014. I had the great fortune to have an email connection with David Smail, whose books and other writings were and continue to be a tremendous help to me personally, and have been decisively formative in my own world view. I hope his ideas, and especially his expression of them, continue to give more readers hope and support.

David Smail wrote about the devastating effects of the social environment/capitalism on the human psyche in a way that was uniquely incisive and powerful. He deserves to have a wider audience for his books, one aspect of which is their chronicling of the increasingly oppressive social environment that has grown since the 1980s.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eminently sensible alternative to most other psycho-therapeutic prescriptive tomes currently found on 'self-help' bookshelves.

[Billy Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this brief but fascinating book, David Smail illuminates and attempts to redress the 'magical voluntarist' philosophy at the heart of much modern therapeutic orthodoxy. Smail convincingly argues that the thrust of conventional therapeutic psychology has been to suggest that we are all essentially the self-creating authors of a moral universe for which we, and we alone, are responsible. Smail terms the philosophy that undergirds this as 'magical voluntarism', the contention here being that, perhaps with the expert help of a therapist or counsellor, you can change the world that you are ultimately responsible for in such a way that it no longer causes distress. Smail brilliantly exposes the interconnecting constellations of power and professional interest among practitioners and politicians to uphold this philosophy as sacrosanct, and which is revealingly coterminous with the rugged individualism espoused by neoliberalism: the message is that 'wealth and privilege have nothing to do with a brutally unbalanced social system, but are available to all who achieve the right psychological balance and act "responsibly"'.

Smail valiantly rails against this view and against the medicalisation of psychological distress to assert that personal sickness is social sickness. The notion that suicide, depression, anxiety, bipolar and myriad other psychological maladies cannot be adduced as evidence against austerity politics and punitive neoliberal 'reform' needs urgently to be contested, and Smail sets the tenor alongside many other figures for such a critique. Mental illness is the shadow of our vapid entrepreneurial culture. It is what happens, particularly in deindustrialised areas, when the constant pressure to hustle is confronted by a dearth of opportunity. Yet we are all told that we only have ourselves to blame.

It's high time that blame was placed elsewhere.

[Chris Nagel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The butler did it.

If you want a materialist critique of psychotherapy — and you do, admit it — this is yer book. Don’t go looking for solutions or happy endings.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

While some aspects of this book might come off as despriting the takeaway can and should be understood as liberating - we are not individually responsible or to blame for our suffering in life. And on the flip side, the sooner we come to grips with the true causes of suffering the sooner we can work together to fix them.

Regardless, the intersection between mental health, politics, economics and power is endelessy interesting and neglected for obvious reasons, I would consider this a must read..

[SusieAJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smail outlines some refreshing and important idea in this. The reason it's 4 and not 5 is that the writing is sometimes quite inaccessible, and in a book that talks about how institutions may use their power (including academia) I thought it was a little ironic!

[Jack Caulfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly belligerent critique of the magical thinking central to psychology and the individualist ideology that benefits from it.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both highly disconcerting, even if you're familiar with the failings or incapacities of therapy, and powerfully thought-provoking.

[Athanasios · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely good book that was an eye opener for me.

[KT · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and informative analysis and critique of psychology and psychoanalysis using a social materialist framework