American Tensions: Commentary on Papers by Neil Altman and Rachael Peltz

Neil Altman and Rachael Peltz have written forceful and important papers on manic defenses and the loss of “social security” in American society. My own experience underscores the value of their project, which I view as a response to changes and differences that have grown over decades and accelerated in recent years. The emergence of the theory of manic defenses leads back to the crises of the 1930s, and psychoanalytically informed cultural critics have recognized similar patterns since the 1970s. I suggest evidence for their views, while also expressing skepticism about their more prescriptive ideas. The crisis they begin to analyze has even deeper roots in the ultimate fears generated in the mid-20th century.

All this the world well knows yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

I have no time for pain.