The Journal of Primary Prevention, Vol. 12, No. 2, 1991
I n t r o d u c t i o n to the I s s u e D o n a l d C. K l e i n 1
On April 28, 1989 on the occasion of the Twelfth Annual Erich Lindemann Memorial Lecture at the Harvard Medical School in Boston I gave a talk entitled "The Humiliation Dynamic." At that time I presented preliminary findings from studies I had been conducting of the effects of scorn and degradation on the lives of individuals and on the functioning of larger human systems. When Tom Gullotta, Editor of The Journal of Prirnary Prevention, read the manuscript of the talk, he invited me to put together a special issue of the publication devoted to how a better understanding of the nature and effects of the Humiliation Dynamic might contribute to the work of prevention and promotion in the mental health and related fields. This issue derives its inspiration from Erich Lindemann's pioneering work in the field of preventive psychiatry. It's my pleasure to dedicate this issue to his memory and, by so doing, to acknowledge his many conceptual and practical contributions to work that goes on today and the continuing inspiration I draw from the ten years in which I worked under his guidance in the Wellesley Project and at the Massachussets General Hospital, Harvard School of Public Health, and Harvard Medical School. Lindemann brought certain important personal qualities to his relationships with colleagues, students, and community leaders, qualities that are relevant to the topic of this issue. In these relationships as well as in his thinking about studies to be carried out and interventions to be undertaken, he consistently emphasized hope, not despair, and health, not pathology. His respect for everyone's contribution was unwavering. In retrospect, I now understand that he n e v e r - in even the most minor way --inflicted disparagement on anyone with whom he worked, whether or IDonald C. Klein is affiliated with the Graduate School of The Union Institute, Cincinnati, OH. Address correspondence and reprint requests to: 4730 Sheppard Lane, Ellicott City, MD 21042. 87 9 1991 Human SciencesPress, Inc.
88
Klein
not they enjoyed prestige in the field or held a position way down in the pecking order of the institution or the community. Just as today we speak of "drug free zones" around our public schools, Lindemann created humiliation-free zones in those social systems over which, by authority or example, he had significant influence. Although I don't recall him ever talking about humiliation explicitly, in his behavior he evidenced on exquisite sensitivity to the destructive, pathogenic nature of the Humiliation Dynamic. I am personally excited about having been given the opportunity in this two-part special issue to introduce the subject of humiliation to colleagues who are committed to prevention of emotional disease and prom o t i o n of p s y c h o l o g i c a l w e l l - b e i n g a m o n g t a r g e t g r o u p s in the population-at-large. Having immersed myself in explorations of the Humiliation Dynamic for three years, I'm by now convinced that this dynamic is one of the most important, albeit unnamed and generally unrecognized, villains with which we must grapple. An important objective of this special i s s u e - perhaps the most important objective - - i s to encourage us all to break the remarkable conspiracy of silence about this important force in our lives. My search of the literature reveals that, with rate exceptions, humiliation has been neglected in the writings of leading personality theorists. The most notable exception I've discovered so far is Karen Horney, who emphasized the important part played by humiliation in the "basic anxiety" experienced by so many of the women who were her patients (Westkott, 1986). Humiliation derives great power from the fact that it is unacknowledged. By naming and discussing it, we acknowledge the fact that we do experience humiliation, that both deliberately and inadvertently we humiliate others, that the experience is well-nigh universal, and that we fear having humiliation inflicted upon us. By doing so, we take the first step towards de-potentiating the dynamic, enabling us to make choices about whether, when, and how to use and respond to this dynamic. For reasons having primarily to do with page limits and other publishing requirements, the issue is divided into two parts, each under separate cover. PART ONE (Volume 12, No. 2, 1991) comprises two sections:
SECTION ONE: THE HUMILIATION DYNAMIC Section One consists of a single introductory article adapted from the 1989 Lindemann memorial lecture. Written from a person-in-environment rather than intra-psychic perspective, it lays the groundwork for
Introduction to Part 1
89
what follows by setting forth some general parameters of the topic, including what people experience and how they react when they feel humiliated. It discusses ways in which our society is humiliation-prone and emphasizes the ubiquitous nature of the Humiliation Dynamic in everyday life. It also addresses some of the psychopathologies in which humiliation or the fear of humiliation play a significant part.
SECTION TWO: T H O S E AT RISK OF HUMILIATION Section Two addresses way in which the Humiliation Dynamic affects the lives of different humiliation-prone groups in our society. Each of the three articles in this section was prepared by an expert in dealing with a particular group at risk. Each author was asked to read my 1989 presentation and to respond in terms of his or her own specialized professional knowledge and personal experience with how the Humiliation Dynamic affects the group in question. In her paper entitled "Some Issues in I n t e r - G e n d e r Humiliation" Carolyn Swift, community psychologist with expertise in women's studies and gender relationships, discusses the part played by humiliation in the lives of both women and men. Her paper addresses the importance of eliminating power inequities that contribute to i n t e r - g e n d e r humiliations. Applied Behavioral Scientist Jean Griffin in a paper entitled "Racism and Humiliation in the African-American Community" examines the relationship between the humiliation dynamic and three forms of racism: individual, institutional, and cultural. Griffin ends her paper with specific suggestions for how helping p r o f e s s i o n a l s - individually, institutionally, and c u l t u r a l l y - - c a n address the task of reducing humiliations based on racism or other malevolent forces. Philosopher-social activist Hal Kirschbaum in his paper on "Disability and Humiliation" describes how disabled people have banded together to cope with humiliations imposed by able-bodied people and, so doing, reminds us that if one lives long enough, one is bound to join the ranks of those who are "differently abled." The paper is written from three vantage points: (1) that of a family therapist who works with those dealing with physical and emotional disabilities, (2) that of a social activist who is involved in efforts to empower those who are disabled to realize their fullest potentials, and (3) that of one who speaks from his own personal experience of coping with a partially disabling physical condition.
Klein
90
PART TWO (Volume 13, No. 1) also comprises two sections:
SECTION THREE: SYSTEMICALLY RELATED HUMILIATION Section Three includes two papers having to do with the impact of humiliation on those at risk within the framework of the social systems and arrangements in which their lives are embedded. Gerontologist Lori Secouler focusses on "Our Elders: At High Risk for Humiliation" in a paper that explores how our views of the aging process and prejudicial ways in which elderly people are treated contribute to the humiliations experience by "senior citizens." After a brief historical review of attitudes towards old age in the United States, she examines "ageism" and the potential for humiliation that is inherent in the social and physical losses associated with the aging process. She makes a case for changing the existing medical model of aging and advocates institutional changes in hospital and nursing homes, as well as increased use of support groups and emphasis on use of retired seniors as volunteers. Criminologist J. Steven Smith concludes the section with a paper entitled "Humiliation, Degradation and the Criminal Justice System" that takes a macro-systemic look at how the Humiliation Dynamic pervades the various components of the criminal justice system. His thesis is that the criminal justice system in all its facets attempts to reinforce the rules for acceptable behaviors by humiliating both offenders and those suspected of unlawful acts. By so doing, however, the system often increases misbehavior by further alienating offenders and pushing them further into more serious criminal activity.
SECTION FOUR: DEALING WITH HUMILIATION, INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY In the final section three papers offer widely differing, although not always contradictory, perspectives on what to do about humiliation. The first, "Transcending Humiliation: An Ancient Perspective," was written by psychologist Patrick J. Barrett and psychiatrist James S. Brooks. Based on their familiarity with ancient Ayurvedic teachings, it raises the possibility of transcending the Humiliation Dynamic through techniques that develop the experience of higher states of consciousness. In the second paper, "Superfluous People in T o m o r r o w ' s Society," psychiatrist-planner Leonard Duhl, a pioneer explorer and stimulator of
Introduction to Part I
91
frontier thinking in the community mental health field, looks to a future in which our society and humankind generally make creative use of the increasing proportion of redundant people in the world who, for all p r a c t i c a l p u r p o s e s of survival of the species, can be c o n s i d e r e d "superfluous." In the closing paper on "Managing Humiliation," I present findings from my study concerning ways that people have found to minimize or avoid humiliation and raise the challenge of how to address the task of creating humiliation-free institutions. In addition to breaking new ground, I hope that this two-part issue will stimulate its readers to examine personal and professional experiences form the perspective of the Humiliation Dynamic and that they will gain new insights and fresh understandings from doing so. My study of humiliation and the fear of humiliation is ongoing. Readers' comments, suggestions, and accounts of relevant experiences will be welcomed.
REFERENCE Westkott, M. (1986). The Feminist Legacy of Karen Homey. New Havcn, CT: Yale University Press.
I n t r o d u c t i o n to the I s s u e D o n a l d C. K l e i n 1
On April 28, 1989 on the occasion of the Twelfth Annual Erich Lindemann Memorial Lecture at the Harvard Medical School in Boston I gave a talk entitled "The Humiliation Dynamic." At that time I presented preliminary findings from studies I had been conducting of the effects of scorn and degradation on the lives of individuals and on the functioning of larger human systems. When Tom Gullotta, Editor of The Journal of Prirnary Prevention, read the manuscript of the talk, he invited me to put together a special issue of the publication devoted to how a better understanding of the nature and effects of the Humiliation Dynamic might contribute to the work of prevention and promotion in the mental health and related fields. This issue derives its inspiration from Erich Lindemann's pioneering work in the field of preventive psychiatry. It's my pleasure to dedicate this issue to his memory and, by so doing, to acknowledge his many conceptual and practical contributions to work that goes on today and the continuing inspiration I draw from the ten years in which I worked under his guidance in the Wellesley Project and at the Massachussets General Hospital, Harvard School of Public Health, and Harvard Medical School. Lindemann brought certain important personal qualities to his relationships with colleagues, students, and community leaders, qualities that are relevant to the topic of this issue. In these relationships as well as in his thinking about studies to be carried out and interventions to be undertaken, he consistently emphasized hope, not despair, and health, not pathology. His respect for everyone's contribution was unwavering. In retrospect, I now understand that he n e v e r - in even the most minor way --inflicted disparagement on anyone with whom he worked, whether or IDonald C. Klein is affiliated with the Graduate School of The Union Institute, Cincinnati, OH. Address correspondence and reprint requests to: 4730 Sheppard Lane, Ellicott City, MD 21042. 87 9 1991 Human SciencesPress, Inc.
88
Klein
not they enjoyed prestige in the field or held a position way down in the pecking order of the institution or the community. Just as today we speak of "drug free zones" around our public schools, Lindemann created humiliation-free zones in those social systems over which, by authority or example, he had significant influence. Although I don't recall him ever talking about humiliation explicitly, in his behavior he evidenced on exquisite sensitivity to the destructive, pathogenic nature of the Humiliation Dynamic. I am personally excited about having been given the opportunity in this two-part special issue to introduce the subject of humiliation to colleagues who are committed to prevention of emotional disease and prom o t i o n of p s y c h o l o g i c a l w e l l - b e i n g a m o n g t a r g e t g r o u p s in the population-at-large. Having immersed myself in explorations of the Humiliation Dynamic for three years, I'm by now convinced that this dynamic is one of the most important, albeit unnamed and generally unrecognized, villains with which we must grapple. An important objective of this special i s s u e - perhaps the most important objective - - i s to encourage us all to break the remarkable conspiracy of silence about this important force in our lives. My search of the literature reveals that, with rate exceptions, humiliation has been neglected in the writings of leading personality theorists. The most notable exception I've discovered so far is Karen Horney, who emphasized the important part played by humiliation in the "basic anxiety" experienced by so many of the women who were her patients (Westkott, 1986). Humiliation derives great power from the fact that it is unacknowledged. By naming and discussing it, we acknowledge the fact that we do experience humiliation, that both deliberately and inadvertently we humiliate others, that the experience is well-nigh universal, and that we fear having humiliation inflicted upon us. By doing so, we take the first step towards de-potentiating the dynamic, enabling us to make choices about whether, when, and how to use and respond to this dynamic. For reasons having primarily to do with page limits and other publishing requirements, the issue is divided into two parts, each under separate cover. PART ONE (Volume 12, No. 2, 1991) comprises two sections:
SECTION ONE: THE HUMILIATION DYNAMIC Section One consists of a single introductory article adapted from the 1989 Lindemann memorial lecture. Written from a person-in-environment rather than intra-psychic perspective, it lays the groundwork for
Introduction to Part 1
89
what follows by setting forth some general parameters of the topic, including what people experience and how they react when they feel humiliated. It discusses ways in which our society is humiliation-prone and emphasizes the ubiquitous nature of the Humiliation Dynamic in everyday life. It also addresses some of the psychopathologies in which humiliation or the fear of humiliation play a significant part.
SECTION TWO: T H O S E AT RISK OF HUMILIATION Section Two addresses way in which the Humiliation Dynamic affects the lives of different humiliation-prone groups in our society. Each of the three articles in this section was prepared by an expert in dealing with a particular group at risk. Each author was asked to read my 1989 presentation and to respond in terms of his or her own specialized professional knowledge and personal experience with how the Humiliation Dynamic affects the group in question. In her paper entitled "Some Issues in I n t e r - G e n d e r Humiliation" Carolyn Swift, community psychologist with expertise in women's studies and gender relationships, discusses the part played by humiliation in the lives of both women and men. Her paper addresses the importance of eliminating power inequities that contribute to i n t e r - g e n d e r humiliations. Applied Behavioral Scientist Jean Griffin in a paper entitled "Racism and Humiliation in the African-American Community" examines the relationship between the humiliation dynamic and three forms of racism: individual, institutional, and cultural. Griffin ends her paper with specific suggestions for how helping p r o f e s s i o n a l s - individually, institutionally, and c u l t u r a l l y - - c a n address the task of reducing humiliations based on racism or other malevolent forces. Philosopher-social activist Hal Kirschbaum in his paper on "Disability and Humiliation" describes how disabled people have banded together to cope with humiliations imposed by able-bodied people and, so doing, reminds us that if one lives long enough, one is bound to join the ranks of those who are "differently abled." The paper is written from three vantage points: (1) that of a family therapist who works with those dealing with physical and emotional disabilities, (2) that of a social activist who is involved in efforts to empower those who are disabled to realize their fullest potentials, and (3) that of one who speaks from his own personal experience of coping with a partially disabling physical condition.
Klein
90
PART TWO (Volume 13, No. 1) also comprises two sections:
SECTION THREE: SYSTEMICALLY RELATED HUMILIATION Section Three includes two papers having to do with the impact of humiliation on those at risk within the framework of the social systems and arrangements in which their lives are embedded. Gerontologist Lori Secouler focusses on "Our Elders: At High Risk for Humiliation" in a paper that explores how our views of the aging process and prejudicial ways in which elderly people are treated contribute to the humiliations experience by "senior citizens." After a brief historical review of attitudes towards old age in the United States, she examines "ageism" and the potential for humiliation that is inherent in the social and physical losses associated with the aging process. She makes a case for changing the existing medical model of aging and advocates institutional changes in hospital and nursing homes, as well as increased use of support groups and emphasis on use of retired seniors as volunteers. Criminologist J. Steven Smith concludes the section with a paper entitled "Humiliation, Degradation and the Criminal Justice System" that takes a macro-systemic look at how the Humiliation Dynamic pervades the various components of the criminal justice system. His thesis is that the criminal justice system in all its facets attempts to reinforce the rules for acceptable behaviors by humiliating both offenders and those suspected of unlawful acts. By so doing, however, the system often increases misbehavior by further alienating offenders and pushing them further into more serious criminal activity.
SECTION FOUR: DEALING WITH HUMILIATION, INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY In the final section three papers offer widely differing, although not always contradictory, perspectives on what to do about humiliation. The first, "Transcending Humiliation: An Ancient Perspective," was written by psychologist Patrick J. Barrett and psychiatrist James S. Brooks. Based on their familiarity with ancient Ayurvedic teachings, it raises the possibility of transcending the Humiliation Dynamic through techniques that develop the experience of higher states of consciousness. In the second paper, "Superfluous People in T o m o r r o w ' s Society," psychiatrist-planner Leonard Duhl, a pioneer explorer and stimulator of
Introduction to Part I
91
frontier thinking in the community mental health field, looks to a future in which our society and humankind generally make creative use of the increasing proportion of redundant people in the world who, for all p r a c t i c a l p u r p o s e s of survival of the species, can be c o n s i d e r e d "superfluous." In the closing paper on "Managing Humiliation," I present findings from my study concerning ways that people have found to minimize or avoid humiliation and raise the challenge of how to address the task of creating humiliation-free institutions. In addition to breaking new ground, I hope that this two-part issue will stimulate its readers to examine personal and professional experiences form the perspective of the Humiliation Dynamic and that they will gain new insights and fresh understandings from doing so. My study of humiliation and the fear of humiliation is ongoing. Readers' comments, suggestions, and accounts of relevant experiences will be welcomed.
REFERENCE Westkott, M. (1986). The Feminist Legacy of Karen Homey. New Havcn, CT: Yale University Press.
