Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

nished, complemented them with their own experiences, and

required additional information and verification of their appli-

cations of this information. Spontaneous and creative reintegra-

tion of their personalities took place soon thereafter, accompa-

nied by a similar reconstruction of their world view. Subse-

quent psychotherapy merely continued assistance in this ever

more autonomous process and in resolving individual prob-

lems, i.e. a more traditional approach. These people lost their

chronic tensions; their perceptive view of this deviant reality

became increasingly realistic and laced with humor. Rein-

forcement of their capacity to maintain their own psychological

hygiene, self-therapy, and self-pedagogy was much better than

expected. They became more resourceful in practical life mat-

ters and were able to offer others good advice. Unfortunately,

the number of persons whom a psychotherapist could trust

adequately was very limited.

A similar effect should be attained on a macrosocial scale,

something technically feasible under present conditions. At

such an operational scale, it will liberate spontaneous interac-

tion among such enlightened individuals and the social multi-

plication of therapeutic phenomena. The latter will then create

a qualitatively new and most probably rather stormy social

reaction; we should be prepared for this in order to calm it

down. Finally, this will bring an overall feeling of relaxation

and a triumph of proper science over evil; this cannot be ne-

gated by any verbalistic means, and physical force also be-

comes meaningless. Using measures so different from anything

utilized before will engender an “end of an era” feeling during

which this macrosocial phenomenon was able to emerge and

develop, but is now dying. That would be accompanied by a

sensation of well-being on the part of normal people.

284

THERAPY OF THE WORLD

Within this suggested global psychotherapy, additional ob-

jectified material in the form of a naturalistic understanding of

the phenomenon constitutes the keystone material; this book

has therefore collected the most essential data the author was

able to obtain and to present here in a partially simplified ap-

proach. This no doubt does not represent the entirety of the

knowledge needed; further supplementation will be necessary.

On the other hand, I have devoted less attention to methods,

since this would constitute a manifold duplication of those

kinds of therapies many specialists already know and use in

their practice.

The purpose of this activity will be letting the world regain

its capacity to make use of healthy common sense and to rein-

tegrate world views based on scientifically objectified and ap-

propriately popularized data. The consciousness thus created

would be far more appropriate to the reality which was misun-

derstood until recently; as a result, man will become more sen-

sible in practical activity, more independent and resourceful in

solving life’s problems, and he will feel safer. This task is noth-

ing new; it constitutes a good psychotherapist’s daily bread.

The problem is technical rather than theoretical, namely how to

disseminate such sorely needed influences throughout the

globe.

~~~

Every psychotherapist must be prepared for difficulties

caused by the psychological resistance derived from persistent

attitudes and convictions whose lack of foundation becomes

revealed in the course of work. Particularly in the case of a

numerous group of people, these resistances become more

demonstratively manifest; however, among the members of

such a group we also find allies who help us break down these

resistances. In order to visualize this, let us revert once more to

the N. family example, wherein a dozen or so persons collabo-

rated in abusing a pleasant and intelligent thirteen-year-old

scapegoat.

When I explained to the uncles and aunts that they had been

under the influence of a psychologically abnormal person for

years, accepting her delusional world as real and participating

(with perceived honor) in her vindictiveness to the boy who

POLITICAL PONEROLOGY

285

was allegedly to blame for her failures, including those which

occurred years before his birth, the shock temporarily stifled

their indignation. There was no subsequent attack, probably

because this took place in my office of the public health service

and I was protected by the white coat I would usually don

whenever I did not feel completely safe. I thus suffered only

verbal threats. A week later, however, they started returning

one by one, pale and rueful; albeit with difficulty, they did

offer their cooperation in helping to repair the family situation

and the future of this unfortunate boy.