The Influence of Sigmund Freud and Edward Bernays on Mass Persuasion

A hundred years ago, Sigmund Freud introduced a new theory about human nature, revealing primitive sexual and aggressive forces hidden deep inside the minds of all human beings. These forces, according to Freud, have led individuals and societies to chaos and destruction.

Those in power have utilized Freud's theories to control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy. The focus is on how Freud's American nephew, Edward Bernays, played a significant role in applying Freud's ideas to manipulate the masses.

Edward Bernays, Freud's American nephew, demonstrated to American corporations how they could manipulate people's desires by linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious wishes. This marked the beginning of a new political strategy to control the masses by satisfying their inner selfish desires.

Freud's ideas on human psychology have become widely accepted in society, with psychoanalysis being a common practice. The annual psychotherapy board in Vienna reflects the integration of psychoanalytic concepts into mainstream culture.

A hundred years ago, Viennese society resisted Freud's ideas as they posed a threat to the powerful nobility's control. The notion of examining one's inner feelings was considered embarrassing and challenging to the established order.

During World War I, Freud observed the horrors of the conflict as evidence of his theories on human behavior. He lamented that the war unleashed primitive forces in individuals, validating his psychoanalytic findings.

Edward Bernays, working as a press agent in America during World War I, witnessed the country's entry into the war against Germany and Austria. Bernays, influenced by his uncle Freud, was about to embark on a different path as events unfolded.

Bernays was employed to promote America's wines in the press during Woodrow Wilson's presidency.

Bernays accompanied President Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference, where the idea of making the world safe for democracy was emphasized.

Bernays realized the potential of using propaganda for peace after its success in wartime, leading him to rebrand it as public relations.

Bernays aimed to manage and alter the behavior of crowds in the mass industrial society of 19th century America by drawing inspiration from Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theories.

Bernays successfully persuaded women to smoke by associating cigarettes with challenging male power, orchestrating a staged event at the Easter Day parade with debutantes lighting 'torches of freedom.'

Edward Bernays linked smoking to women's empowerment by associating cigarettes with the torch of liberty, making smoking socially acceptable. This symbolic act led to an increase in cigarette sales to women, portraying smoking as a symbol of power and independence. Bernays' idea that smoking made women feel more powerful and independent, despite being irrational, persisted over time.

Bernays realized that linking products to emotional desires could persuade people to behave irrationally. He believed that products could become powerful emotional symbols, influencing how individuals wanted to be perceived by others. Bernays emphasized selling products based on emotional connections rather than rational needs, pioneering the concept of emotional engagement with products or services.

Corporations post-World War I aimed to shift American culture from a needs-based to a desires-based consumer culture. They sought to create a mentality where people desired new products before fully consuming the old ones. This shift was led by figures like Wall Street banker Paul Mazur, who advocated for a culture where desires overshadowed needs, promoting the idea of wanting rather than needing products.

Edward Bernays played a pivotal role in transforming American consumer culture by introducing psychological theories into corporate strategies. He developed techniques of mass consumer persuasion, working with corporations to appeal to the masses effectively. Bernays' techniques, influenced by Sigmund Freud's understanding of human motivation, revolutionized how products were marketed and sold to the public.

Edward Bernays influenced the film industry by introducing product placement in movies. He dressed film stars in clothes and jewelry from firms he represented, promoting the idea that cars could be symbols of male sexuality. Bernays employed psychologists to issue reports claiming products were beneficial, organized fashion shows, and paid celebrities to convey the message that buying items was a form of self-expression.

In 1927, a journalist noted a shift towards consumerism in America, where citizens were defined more by their role as consumers than as citizens. This wave of consumerism led to a stock market boom, with Bernays playing a key role in encouraging ordinary people to buy shares. Bernays' deep understanding of mass psychology enabled him to influence large groups of people effectively.

Edward Bernays gained fame for his understanding of crowd psychology, leading President Coolidge to seek his help in improving his public image. Bernays orchestrated a visit by 34 famous film stars to the White House, transforming Coolidge's dull image into a positive public perception. This event marked the intersection of politics and public relations, showcasing Bernays' ability to shape public opinion.

During Freud's financial crisis in Vienna, Bernays supported his uncle by arranging for Freud's works to be published in America. Bernays sent precious dollars to Freud, who kept them in a secret bank account. Bernays not only promoted Freud's books but also created controversy around Freud's ideas, contributing to Freud's acceptance in the U.S. Bernays even suggested Freud write for magazines to further his influence.

Freud began to write about group behavior, highlighting how easily unconscious aggressive forces in human beings could be triggered in crowds. He believed he had underestimated human aggressive instincts, considering them far more dangerous than he originally thought. After World War I, Freud's pessimistic view of humanity led him to believe that humans were inherently sadistic and impossible to improve.

The publication of Freud's works in America had a profound effect on journalists and intellectuals in the 1920s. They were fascinated and frightened by the picture Freud painted of dangerous forces lurking beneath modern society, capable of erupting into frenzied mobs that could even destroy governments.

Political writer Walter Lippmann argued that if humans were truly driven by unconscious irrational forces, democracy needed to be rethought. He proposed the idea of a new elite managing the 'bewildered herd' through psychological techniques to control the masses' unconscious feelings, challenging the belief in rational decision-making in democracy.

Edward Bernays, influenced by Lippmann's ideas, developed techniques to manage the irrational forces of the masses. By stimulating people's inner desires and satisfying them with consumer products, he believed in creating a new way to control the masses, which he termed 'the engineering of consent.' Bernays saw democracy as needing guidance from above, appealing to people's desires and fears for manipulation.

President Hoover became the first politician to emphasize that consumerism was central to American life. He acknowledged advertisers and public relations professionals for creating desire and turning people into 'happiness machines,' essential for economic progress.

In the 1920s, a new idea of running mass democracy emerged, centered around the consuming self. This concept not only fueled the economy but also ensured a docile and content society. Both Bernays and Lippmann's approaches to managing the masses turned democracy into a palliative, maintaining power relations without altering objective circumstances.

Edward Bernays became a central figure in the business elite dominating American society and politics in the 1920s. He became extremely wealthy, living in a luxurious suite at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel in New York where he hosted lavish parties attended by influential figures from various fields.

Bernays wielded significant power and influence, known for his ability to connect with prominent individuals like mayors, senators, and business leaders. He had a charismatic persona, often making others feel inferior by labeling them as 'stupid' or 'dope' if they didn't align with his views or methods.

Bernays' power and reputation suffered a dramatic blow in October 1929 when he organized a national event to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the light bulb invention. However, as the event unfolded, news of the stock market crash spread, leading to the biggest market collapse in history, causing a ripple effect that devastated the American economy and led to Bernays' fall from favor.

The Wall Street Crash of 1929 had catastrophic effects on Europe, intensifying economic and political crises in countries like Germany and Austria. The crash fueled violent street battles between political factions, contributing to a sense of despair and disillusionment with democracy.

Amidst the turmoil, Sigmund Freud retreated to the Alps and penned 'Civilization and Its Discontents,' challenging the notion that civilization represented progress. Freud argued that civilization was a mechanism to control human instincts, suggesting that true individual freedom was unattainable and that discontent was inherent to human nature.

Freud's pessimism extended to democracy, believing that individual freedom posed a threat to societal stability. He contended that discontent was necessary to maintain control over human behavior, implying that democracy's emphasis on personal liberty could lead to chaos and unrest.

Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists capitalized on growing disillusionment with democracy, portraying it as a system that fostered selfish individualism and chaos. The Nazis promised to abandon democracy to address the perceived issues of disorder and unemployment, ultimately gaining power in Germany in March 1933.

The Nazis aimed to control society by taking over business and planning production through the state. They organized leisure time through Strength Through Joy. This control was seen as a new alternative to democracy, focusing on channeling the feelings and desires of the masses to bind the nation together. Joseph Goebbels, the minister of propaganda, played a key role in organizing rallies to unify the nation's thinking, feeling, and desires.

The Nazis deliberately encouraged libidinal and aggressive forces within the masses, believing they could master and control them. Inspired by Freud's writings on crowd psychology, they sought to unleash and manipulate these forces to consolidate power and unity.

Hitler's charismatic influence over the masses was evident in massive rallies where people became fervently devoted to him, shouting his praises. This demonstrated the uncontrollable and irrational forces at play in Germany, fueling the Nazi regime's power and control.

In America, democracy faced a threat from the angry mob following the stock market crash. The violent population directed their frustration towards corporations, leading to growing unrest. The election of a new president in 1932 signaled a shift towards state control of the free market to strengthen democracy.

President Roosevelt's New Deal aimed to address the economic crisis by planning and running large industrial projects for the nation's benefit. He believed that laissez-faire capitalism was no longer viable and that government intervention was necessary. Unlike the Nazis, Roosevelt trusted in the rationality of human beings and sought to involve them actively in government.

George Gallup, an American social scientist, played a crucial role in shaping Roosevelt's policies by providing insights into public opinion through surveys. His innovative approach to understanding and incorporating public sentiment helped Roosevelt tailor his policies to the needs and opinions of ordinary Americans.

In New York, Fortune magazine's analyst Elmo Roper, along with Gallup, rejected Bernays' view on human behavior. They believed in the trustworthiness of people's opinions, advocating for factual questions in opinion polling to predict public behavior accurately.

Polling questions transitioned from loaded queries like the impact of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal to more neutral inquiries about public sentiment towards figures like Christ and Roosevelt. This shift aimed to gather unbiased opinions and avoid emotional manipulation.

Scientific polling challenged the notion that public opinion was irrational and unreliable. It demonstrated that people are rational decision-makers, offering democracy a chance to be informed by the public's voice, as seen in Roosevelt's era.

Roosevelt's presidency marked a shift in the relationship between the masses and politicians. He empowered citizens to participate in governance, contrasting the previous view of them as irrational consumers. His policies aimed to connect the public with political decision-making.

Post-Roosevelt's re-election, businesses, led by the National Association of Manufacturers, initiated ideological warfare against the New Deal. They sought to reestablish the link between democracy and private enterprise, launching emotional campaigns to sway public opinion in favor of big business.

Edward Bernays revolutionized public relations by advising companies like General Motors in shaping public perception. His techniques, adopted by numerous PR advisors, emphasized emotional connections between the public and big business, influencing editorial content and public opinion.

In response to PR campaigns, the government produced films highlighting the manipulative tactics of public relations in shaping public discourse. They warned of the dangers posed to democratic institutions by behind-the-scenes influence and advocated for vigilant monitoring of media narratives.

Edward Bernays envisioned a Utopian future for free-market capitalism in America, promoting a vision of progress and prosperity at events like the World's Fair. His influence extended to shaping the narrative of capitalism's potential impact on society.

Bernays insisted that the theme of the World's Fair be the connection between democracy and American business. The fair featured a giant white dome named democracy tea, with a central exhibit showcasing a working model of America's future by General Motors Corporation.

Bernays saw the World's Fair as an opportunity to maintain the status quo of capitalism within a democratic society. He believed in the inherent link between democracy and capitalism, emphasizing that real democracy could only exist in a capitalist society capable of technological advancements and consumerist culture.

The success of the World's Fair portrayed a new form of democracy where business catered to people's desires more effectively than politicians. Bernays believed in controlling mass democracy by treating people as passive consumers rather than active citizens, shaping their desires to maintain control.

Bernays' concept of democracy shifted the focus from active citizenry to passive consumerism, where people's desires dictated the direction of society. This transformation reduced democracy to a system where the public's needs and wants were manipulated to maintain control.

In March 1938, Freud fled Vienna due to the Nazi annexation of Austria. With the help of British psychoanalyst Ernest Jones, Freud obtained a British work permit, allowing him and his family to escape to London in May 1938 amidst rising violence and anti-Semitic sentiments.

Freud settled in London with his daughter Anna as Britain prepared for war. Despite his advanced cancer, Freud passed away in September 1939, just three weeks after the outbreak of World War II, marking the end of an era for psychoanalysis.

The onset of World War II reshaped governments' views on democracy, leading to a belief in controlling the dark forces within human beings. The atrocities of the war highlighted the dangers of unleashing these forces, prompting post-war American politicians and planners to seek ways to manage the hidden psychological complexities of their population.

The Freud family, particularly Anna Freud, and Edward Bernays played pivotal roles in post-war America. They were sought after to help control the perceived dangerous forces within the population. Bernays collaborated not only with the American government but also with the CIA, while Anna Freud advocated for teaching people to manage their irrational impulses, leading to extensive government programs aimed at regulating the psychological lives of the masses.