Depressing Abstract

Here is the abstract for an article that I'm about to read:

ABSTRACT: This article presents a contextualized treatment of the current configuration of self, some of the pathologies that plague it, and the technologies that attempt to heael it. Of particular interest is the historical shift from the Victorian, sexually restricted self to the post-World War II empty self. The empty self is soothed and made cohesive by becoming "filled up" with food, consumer products, and celebrities. Its historical antecedents, economic constituents, and political consequences are the focus of this article. The two professions most responsible for healing the empty self, advertising and psychotherapy, find themselves in a bind: They must treat a psychological symptom without being able to address its historical causes. Both circumvent the bind by employing the life-style solution, a strategy that attempts to heal by covertly filling the empty self with the accoutrements, values, and mannerisms of idealized figures. This strategysolves an old problem but creates new ones, including an opportunity for abuse by exploitive therapists, cult leaders, and politicians. Psychology's role in constructing the empty self, and thus reproducing the current hierarchy of power and privilege, is examined.

Cushman, Philip (1990). Why the Self Is Empty: Toward a Historically Situated Psychology. American Psychologist, 45, 599-611.

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Me again. I haven't yet read this article, but the abstract both interested me and depressed me so much that I had to share before I actually got down to business. Stay tuned for more.