All these have
been deeply rooted values of our society (or at least of its
middle and upper classes [4] for a long time. These values are explicitly or implicitly expressed or presupposed
in most of the material presented to us by the mainstream
communications media and the educational system. Lef
tists, especially those of the oversocialized type, usually
do not rebel against these principles but justify their hostility to society by claiming (with some degree of truth)
that society is not living up to these principles

28. The leftist of the oversocialized type tries to get off
his psychological leash and assert his autonomy by rebelling. But usually he is not strong enough to rebel against
the most basic values of society. Generally speaking, the
goals of today’s leftists are NOT in conflict with the accepted morality. On the contrary, the left takes an accepted
moral principle, adopts it as its own, and then accuses
mainstream society of violating that principle. Examples:
racial equality, equality of the sexes, helping poor people,
peace as opposed to war, nonviolence generally, freedom
of expression, kindness to animals. More fundamentally,
the duty of the individual to serve society and the duty
of society to take care of the individual.

indness to animals. More
fundamentally, the duty of the individual to serve society and the duty of society to take care of the individual. All these have
been deeply rooted values of our society (or at least of its middle and upper classes [4] for a long time. These values are
explicitly or implicitly expressed or presupposed in most of the material presented to us by the mainstream communications
media and the educational system. Leftists, especially those of the oversocialized type, usually do not rebel against these
principles but justify their hostility to society by claiming (with some degree of truth) that society is not living up to these
principles

27. We argue that a very important and influential segment of the modern left is oversocialized and that their
oversocialization is of great importance in determining
the direction of modern leftism. Leftists of the oversocialized type tend to be intellectuals or members of the
upper-middle class. Notice that university intellectuals [3]
constitute the most highly socialized segment of our society and also the most leftwing segment.

28. The leftist of the oversocialized type tries to get off his psychological leash and assert his autonomy by rebelling. But
usually he is not strong enough to rebel against the most basic values of society. Generally speaking, the goals of today’s
leftists are NOT in conflict with the accepted morality. On the contrary, the left takes an accepted moral principle, adopts it as
its own, and then accuses mainstream society of violating that principle. Examples: racial equality, equality of the sexes,
helping poor people, peace as opposed to war, nonviolence generally, freedom of expression,

socialized person cannot even experience, without guilt,
thoughts or feelings that are contrary to the accepted morality; he cannot think “unclean” thoughts. And socialization is not just a matter of morality; we are socialized to
conform to many norms of behavior that do not fall under
the heading of morality. Thus the oversocialized person is
kept on a psychological leash and spends his life running
on rails that society has laid down for him. In many oversocialized people this results in a sense of constraint and
powerlessness that can be a severe hardship. We suggest
that oversocialization is among the more serious cruelties
that human being inflict on one another

26. Oversocialization can lead to low self-esteem, a
sense of powerlessness, defeatism, guilt, etc. One of the
most important means by which our society socializes
children is by making them feel ashamed of behavior or
speech that is contrary to society’s expectations. If this is
overdone, or if a particular child is especially susceptible
to such feelings, he ends by feeling ashamed of HIMSELF.
Moreover the thought and the behavior of the oversocialized person are more restricted by society’s expectations
than are those of the lightly socialized person. The majority of people engage in a significant amount of naughty
behavior. They lie, they commit petty thefts, they break
traffic laws, they goof off at work, they hate someone, they
say spiteful things or they use some underhanded trick to
get ahead of the other guy. The oversocialized person cannot do these things, or if he does do them he generates
in himself a sense of shame and self-hatred. The over

27. We argue that a very important and influential segment of the modern left is oversocialized and that their oversocialization
is of great importance in determining the direction of modern leftism. Leftists of the oversocialized type tend to be intellectuals
or members of the upper-middle class. Notice that university intellectuals [3] constitute the most highly socialized segment of
our society and also the most leftwing segment.

25. The moral code of our society is so demanding that
no one can think, feel and act in a completely moral way.
For example, we are not supposed to hate anyone, yet
almost everyone hates somebody at some time or other,
whether he admits it to himself or not. Some people are
so highly socialized that the attempt to think, feel and
act morally imposes a severe burden on them. In order to avoid feelings of guilt, they continually have to deceive
themselves about their own motives and find moral explanations for feelings and actions that in reality have a
nonmoral origin. We use the term “oversocialized” to describe such people.

6. Oversocialization can lead to low self-esteem, a sense of powerlessness, defeatism, guilt, etc. One of the most important
means by which our society socializes children is by making them feel ashamed of behavior or speech that is contrary to
society’s expectations. If this is overdone, or if a particular child is especially susceptible to such feelings, he ends by feeling
ashamed of HIMSELF. Moreover the thought and the behavior of the oversocialized person are more restricted by society’s
expectations than are those of the lightly socialized person. The majority of people engage in a significant amount of naughty
behavior. They lie, they commit petty thefts, they break traffic laws,

25. The moral code of our society is so demanding that no one can think, feel and act in a completely moral way. For example,
we are not supposed to hate anyone, yet almost everyone hates somebody at some time or other, whether he admits it to himself
or not. Some people are so highly socialized that the attempt to think, feel and act morally imposes a severe burden on them. In
order to avoid feelings of guilt, they continually have to deceive themselves about their own motives and find moral
explanations for feelings and actions that in reality have a nonmoral origin. We use the term “oversocialized” to describe such
people. [2]

OVERSOCIALIZATION
24. Psychologists use the term “socialization” to designate the process by which children are trained to think
and act as society demands. A person is said to be well
socialized if he believes in and obeys the moral code of
his society and fits in well as a functioning part of that
society. It may seem senseless to say that many leftists are
over-socialized, since the leftist is perceived as a rebel. Nevertheless, the position can be defended. Many leftists are
not such rebels as they seem.

24. Psychologists use the term “socialization” to designate the process by which children are trained to think and act as society
demands. A person is said to be well socialized if he believes in and obeys the moral code of his society and fits in well as a
functioning part of that society. It may seem senseless to say that many leftists are over-socialized, since the leftist is
perceived as a rebel. Nevertheless, the position can be defended. Many leftists are not such rebels as they seem.

22. If our society had no social problems at all, the leftists would have to INVENT problems in order to provide
themselves with an excuse for making a fuss.
23. We emphasize that the foregoing does not pretend
to be an accurate description of everyone who might be
considered a leftist. It is only a rough indication of a general tendency of leftism.

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23. We emphasize that the foregoing does not pretend to be an accurate description of everyone who might be considered a
leftist. It is only a rough indication of a general tendency of leftism

diplomatic and conciliatory approach that would make at
least verbal and symbolic concessions to white people who
think that affirmative action discriminates against them.
But leftist activists do not take such an approach because
it would not satisfy their emotional needs. Helping black
people is not their real goal. Instead, race problems serve
as an excuse for them to express their own hostility and
frustrated need for power. In doing so they actually harm
black people, because the activists’ hostile attitude toward
the white majority tends to intensify race hatred.

22. If our society had no social problems at all, the leftists would have to INVENT problems in order to provide themselves
with an excuse for making a fuss.

21. Leftists may claim that their activism is motivated
by compassion or by moral principles, and moral principle
does play a role for the leftist of the oversocialized type.
But compassion and moral principle cannot be the main
motives for leftist activism. Hostility is too prominent a
component of leftist behavior; so is the drive for power.
Moreover, much leftist behavior is not rationally calculated to be of benefit to the people whom the leftists claim
to be trying to help. For example, if one believes that affirmative action is good for black people, does it make
sense to demand affirmative action in hostile or dogmatic
terms? Obviously it would be more productive to take a

or example, if one
believes that affirmative action is good for black people, does it make sense to demand affirmative action in hostile or
dogmatic terms? Obviously it would be more productive to take a diplomatic and conciliatory approach that would make at
least verbal and symbolic concessions to white people who think that affirmative action discriminates against them. But leftist
activists do not take such an approach because it would not satisfy their emotional needs. Helping black people is not their real
goal. Instead, race problems serve as an excuse for them to express their own hostility and frustrated need for power. In doing
so they actually harm black people, because the activists’ hostile attitude toward the white majority tends to intensify race
hatred.

21. Leftists may claim that their activism is motivated by compassion or by moral principles, and moral principle does play a
role for the leftist of the oversocialized type. But compassion and moral principle cannot be the main motives for leftist
activism. Hostility is too prominent a component of leftist behavior; so is the drive for power. Moreover, much leftist behavior
is not rationally calculated to be of benefit to the people whom the leftists claim to be trying to help.

20. Notice the masochistic tendency of leftist tactics.
Leftists protest by lying down in front of vehicles, they
intentionally provoke police or racists to abuse them, etc.
These tactics may often be effective, but many leftists use
them not as a means to an end but because they PREFER
masochistic tactics. Self-hatred is a leftist trait.

20. Notice the masochistic tendency of leftist tactics. Leftists protest by lying down in front of vehicles, they intentionally
provoke police or racists to abuse them, etc. These tactics may often be effective, but many leftists use them not as a means to
an end but because they PREFER masochistic tactics. Self-hatred is a leftist trait.

19. The leftist is not typically the kind of person whose
feelings of inferiority make him a braggart, an egotist, a
bully, a self-promoter, a ruthless competitor. This kind of
person has not wholly lost faith in himself. He has a deficit in his sense of power and self-worth, but he can still
conceive of himself as having the capacity to be strong,
and his efforts to make himself strong produce his unpleasant behavior. [1] But the leftist is too far gone for
that. His feelings of inferiority are so ingrained that he
cannot conceive of himself as individually strong and valuable. Hence the collectivism of the leftist. He can feel
strong only as a member of a large organization or a mass
movement with which he identifies himself.

19. The leftist is not typically the kind of person whose feelings of inferiority make him a braggart, an egotist, a bully, a self-
promoter, a ruthless competitor. This kind of person has not wholly lost faith in himself. He has a deficit in his sense of power
and self-worth, but he can still conceive of himself as having the capacity to be strong, and his efforts to make himself strong
produce his unpleasant behavior. [1] But the leftist is too far gone for that. His feelings of inferiority are so ingrained that he
cannot conceive of himself as individually strong and valuable. Hence the collectivism of the leftist. He can feel strong only as
a member of a large organization or a mass movement with which he identifies himself

science and rationality because they classify certain beliefs
as true (i.e., successful, superior) and other beliefs as false
(i.e., failed, inferior). The leftist’s feelings of inferiority
run so deep that he cannot tolerate any classification of
some things as successful or superior and other things as
failed or inferior. This also underlies the rejection by many
leftists of the concept of mental illness and of the utility of
IQ tests. Leftists are antagonistic to genetic explanations
of human abilities or behavior because such explanations
tend to make some persons appear superior or inferior to
others. Leftists prefer to give society the credit or blame
for an individual’s ability or lack of it. Thus if a person is
“inferior” it is not his fault, but society’s, because he has
not been brought up properly

18. Modern leftish philosophers tend to dismiss reason,
science, objective reality and to insist that everything is
culturally relative. It is true that one can ask serious questions about the foundations of scientific knowledge and
about how, if at all, the concept of objective reality can
be defined. But it is obvious that modern leftish philosophers are not simply cool-headed logicians systematically
analyzing the foundations of knowledge. They are deeply
involved emotionally in their attack on truth and reality.
They attack these concepts because of their own psychological needs. For one thing, their attack is an outlet for
hostility, and, to the extent that it is successful, it satisfies the drive for power. More importantly, the leftist hates

For one thing, their attack is an outlet for
hostility, and, to the extent that it is successful, it satisfies the drive for power. More importantly, the leftist hates science and
rationality because they classify certain beliefs as true (i.e., successful, superior) and other beliefs as false (i.e., failed, inferior).
The leftist’s feelings of inferiority run so deep that he cannot tolerate any classification of some things as successful or superior
and other things as failed or inferior. This also underlies the rejection by many leftists of the concept of mental illness and of
the utility of IQ tests. Leftists are antagonistic to genetic explanations of human abilities or behavior because such explanations
tend to make some persons appear superior or inferior to others. Leftists prefer to give society the credit or blame for an
individual’s ability or lack of it. Thus if a person is “inferior” it is not his fault, but society’s, because he has not been brought
up properly

18. Modern leftish philosophers tend to dismiss reason, science, objective reality and to insist that everything is culturally
relative. It is true that one can ask serious questions about the foundations of scientific knowledge and about how, if at all, the
concept of objective reality can be defined. But it is obvious that modern leftish philosophers are not simply cool-headed
logicians systematically analyzing the foundations of knowledge. They are deeply involved emotionally in their attack on truth
and reality. They attack these concepts because of their own psychological needs.

17. Art forms that appeal to modern leftish intellectuals tend to focus on sordidness, defeat and despair, or
else they take an orgiastic tone, throwing off rational
control as if there were no hope of accomplishing anything through rational calculation and all that was left was
to immerse oneself in the sensations of the moment.

17. Art forms that appeal to modern leftish intellectuals tend to focus on sordidness, defeat and despair, or else they take an
orgiastic tone, throwing off rational control as if there were no hope of accomplishing anything through rational calculation and
all that was left was to immerse oneself in the sensations of the moment

16. Words like “self-confidence”, “self-reliance”, “initiative”, “enterprise”, “optimism”, etc., play little role
in the liberal and leftist vocabulary. The leftist is antiindividualistic, pro-collectivist. He wants society to solve
every one’s problems for them, satisfy everyone’s needs
for them, take care of them. He is not the sort of person
who has an inner sense of confidence in his ability to solve
his own problems and satisfy his own needs. The leftist is
antagohistic to the concept of competition because, deep
inside, he feels like a loser

6. Words like “self-confidence,” “self-reliance,” “initiative,” “enterprise,” “optimism,” etc., play little role in the liberal and
leftist vocabulary. The leftist is anti-individualistic, pro-collectivist. He wants society to solve every one’s problems for them,
satisfy everyone’s needs for them, take care of them. He is not the sort of person who has an inner sense of confidence in his
ability to solve his own problems and satisfy his own needs. The leftist is antagonistic to the concept of competition because,
deep inside, he feels like a loser

15. Leftists tend to hate anything that has an image
of being strong, good and successful. They hate America,
they hate Western civilization, they hate white males, they
hate rationality. The reasons that leftists give for hating
the West, etc. clearly do not correspond with their real
motives. They SAY they hate the West because it is warlike, imperialistic, sexist, ethnocentric and so forth, but
where these same faults appear in socialist countries or
in primitive cultures, the leftist finds excuses for them,
or at best he GRUDGINGLY admits that they exist; whereas he ENTHUSIASTICALLY points out (and often greatly
exaggerates) these faults where they appear in Western
civilization. Thus it is clear that these faults are not the
leftist’s real motive for hating America and the West. He
hates America and the West because they are strong and
successful.

15. Leftists tend to hate anything that has an image of being strong, good and successful. They hate America, they hate
Western civilization, they hate white males, they hate rationality. The reasons that leftists give for hating the West, etc. clearly
do not correspond with their real motives. They SAY they hate the West because it is warlike, imperialistic, sexist, ethnocentric
and so forth, but where these same faults appear in socialist countries or in primitive cultures, the leftist finds excuses for them,
or at best he GRUDGINGLY admits that they exist; whereas he ENTHUSIASTICALLY points out (and often greatly
exaggerates) these faults where they appear in Western civilization. Thus it is clear that these faults are not the leftist’s real
motive for hating America and the West. He hates America and the West because they are strong and successful

14. Feminists are desperately anxious to prove that women are as strong and as capable as men. Clearly they are
nagged by a fear that women may NOT be as strong and
as capable as men.

14. Feminists are desperately anxious to prove that women are as strong and as capable as men. Clearly they are nagged by a
fear that women may NOT be as strong and as capable as men

13. Many leftists have an intense identification with the
problems of groups that have an image of being weak
(women), defeated (American Indians), repellent (homosexuals) or otherwise inferior. The leftists themselves feel
that these groups are inferior. They would never admit to
themselves that they have such feelings, but it is precisely because they do see these groups as inferior that they
identify with their problems. (We do not mean to suggest
that women, Indians, etc. ARE inferior; we are only making a point about leftist psychology.)

12. Those who are most sensitive about “politically incorrect” terminology are not the average black ghettodweller, Asian immigrant, abused woman or disabled person, but a minority of activists, many of whom do not
even belong to any “oppressed” group but come from
privileged strata of society. Political correctness has its
stronghold among university professors, who have secure
employment with comfortable salaries, and the majority
of whom are heterosexual white males from middle- to
upper-middle-class families.

12. Those who are most sensitive about “politically incorrect” terminology are not the average black ghetto-dweller, Asian
immigrant, abused woman or disabled person, but a minority of activists, many of whom do not even belong to any
“oppressed” group but come from privileged strata of society. Political correctness has its stronghold among university
professors, who have secure employment with comfortable salaries, and the majority of whom are heterosexual white males
from middle- to upper-middle-class families.

word “pet” and insist on its
replacement by “animal companion.” Leftish anthropologists go to great lengths to avoid saying anything about primitive
peoples that could conceivably be interpreted as negative. They want to replace the word “primitive” by “nonliterate.” They
may seem almost paranoid about anything that might suggest that any primitive culture is inferior to ours. (We do not mean to
imply that primitive cultures ARE inferior to ours. We merely point out the hyper sensitivity of leftish anthropologists.)

11. When someone interprets as derogatory almost anything that is said about him (or about groups with whom he identifies)
we conclude that he has inferiority feelings or low self-esteem. This tendency is pronounced among minority rights activists,
whether or not they belong to the minority groups whose rights they defend. They are hypersensitive about the words used to
designate minorities and about anything that is said concerning minorities. The terms “Negro,” “oriental,” “handicapped” or
“chick” for an African, an Asian, a disabled person or a woman originally had no derogatory connotation. “Broad” and “chick”
were merely the feminine equivalents of “guy,” “dude” or “fellow.” The negative connotations have been attached to these
terms by the activists themselves. Some animal rights activists have gone so far as to reject the

rights activists have gone so far as to reject the word
“pet” and insist on its replacement by “animal companion”. Leftish anthropologists go to great lengths to avoid
saying anything about primitive peoples that could conceivably be interpreted as negative. They want to replace the
word “primitive” by “nonliterate”. They seem almost paranoid about anything that might suggest that any primitive
culture is inferior to our own. (We do not mean to imply
that primitive cultures ARE inferior to ours. We merely
point out the hyper sensitivity of leftish anthropologists.)

Feelings of Inferiority
10. By “feelings of inferiority” we mean not only inferiority feelings in the strict sense but a whole spectrum of related traits;
low self-esteem, feelings of powerlessness, depressive tendencies, defeatism, guilt, self-hatred, etc. We argue that modern
leftists tend to have some such feelings (possibly more or less repressed) and that these feelings are decisive in determining the
direction of modern leftism

dern leftism.
11. When someone interprets as derogatory almost anything that is said about him (or about groups with whom
he identifies) we conclude that he has inferiority feelings
or low self-esteem. This tendency is pronounced among
minority rights activists, whether or not they belong to the
minority groups whose rights they defend. They are hypersensitive about the words used to designate minorities
and about anything that is said concerning minorities. The
terms “negro”, “oriental”, “handicapped” or “chick” for an
African, an Asian, a disabled person or a woman originally had no derogatory connotation. “Broad” and “chick”
were merely the feminine equivalents of “guy”, “dude” or
“fellow”. The negative connotations have been attached
to these terms by the activists themselves. Some animal

9. The two psychological tendencies that underlie modern leftism we call “feelings of inferiority” and “oversocialization.”
Feelings of inferiority are characteristic of modern leftism as a whole, while oversocialization is characteristic only of a certain
segment of modern leftism; but this segment is highly influential.

8. Even so, our conception of leftism will remain a good deal less clear than we would wish, but there doesn’t seem to be any
remedy for this. All we are trying to do here is indicate in a rough and approximate way the two psychological tendencies that
we believe are the main driving force of modern leftism. We by no means claim to be telling the WHOLE truth about leftist
psychology. Also, our discussion is meant to apply to modern leftism only. We leave open the question of the extent to which
our discussion could be applied to the leftists of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

FEELINGS OF INFERIORITY
10. By “feelings of inferiority” we mean not only inferiority feelings in the strict sense but a whole spectrum
of related traits; low self-esteem, feelings of powerlessness, depressive tendencies, defeatism, guilt, self-hatred,
etc. We argue that modern leftists tend to have some such
feelings (possibly more or less repressed) and that these
feelings are decisive in determining the direction of modern leftism

9. The two psychological tendencies that underlie modern leftism we call “feelings of inferiority” and “oversocialization”. Feelings of inferiority are characteristic of
modern leftism as a whole, while oversocialization is characteristic only of a certain segment of modern leftism;
but this segment is highly influential.

7. But what is leftism? During the first half of the 20th century leftism could have been practically identified with socialism.
Today the movement is fragmented and it is not clear who can properly be called a leftist. When we speak of leftists in this
article we have in mind mainly socialists, collectivists, “politically correct” types, feminists, gay and disability activists, animal
rights activists and the like. But not everyone who is associated with one of these movements is a leftist. What we are trying to
get at in discussing leftism is not so much movement or an ideology as a psychological type, or rather a collection of related
types. Thus, what we mean by “leftism” will emerge more clearly in the course of our discussion of leftist psychology. (Also,
see paragraphs 227-230.)

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6. Almost everyone will agree that we live in a deeply troubled society. One of the most widespread manifestations of the
craziness of our world is leftism, so a discussion of the psychology of leftism can serve as an introduction to the discussion of
the problems of modern society in general.