About this ebook
Drawing from Roy Bhaskar's concepts of stratified reality and human flourishing, this book develops this argument by describing democracy as a layered system operating at three interconnected levels: the political, the social, and the psychological. It draws on political science and political philosophy to examine the democratic social contract, on social psychology and social philosophy to analyze the democratic citizen, and on psychoanalytic and developmental theory to explore the democratic personality. In doing so, it offers an integrated account of democracy that brings these disciplines into a common framework. At a time of growing polarization and authoritarianism, this book argues that democratic renewal depends not only on political institutions but also on the social relationships and psychological capacities that enable citizens to sustain a shared democratic life.
It will appeal to academics and advanced students interested in critical realism, democracy, political sociology, social psychology, social philosophy, psychoanalytic theory, and developmental psychology.
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About the author
Carl Auerbach is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, where he taught courses in the psychology of trauma, psychoanalytic theory, and qualitative research. In 2011, he received a Fulbright Fellowship to teach and conduct research at the National University of Rwanda.
