Why Freud Is Making a Comeback in the Age of Authoritarianism and AI
From political crises to digital culture, psychoanalysis is finding renewed relevance in an era of global uncertainty.
More than a century after he founded psychoanalysis in Vienna, Sigmund Freud is experiencing an unexpected revival. Once dismissed in many scientific circles, Freudian theory is now regaining cultural and intellectual traction. Social media accounts dedicated to psychoanalysis have attracted massive followings, while mainstream publications such as The New York Times and The Guardian have declared its resurgence. Even popular television, including Couples Therapy featuring Orna Guralnik, has brought psychoanalytic conversations into living rooms worldwide.
Historically, psychoanalysis spread far beyond Austria during Freud’s lifetime, with institutes established across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Cities such as Buenos Aires, Paris and London became vibrant centres of analytic thought. In Argentina in particular, psychoanalysis remains deeply embedded in cultural life, reflecting how societies facing upheaval have often turned to talking therapies to process collective trauma.
The link between psychoanalysis and political crisis is not new. During the rise of European fascism, thinkers such as Wilhelm Reich and Erich Fromm combined Freudian insights with Marxist theory to understand authoritarian personalities. In colonial Algeria, psychiatrist and activist Frantz Fanon used psychoanalytic frameworks to critique racial oppression under French rule. For these intellectuals, psychoanalysis was not merely therapeutic—it was a tool of political resistance.
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Today, amid rising nationalism, technological disruption and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, psychoanalysis is again being seen as a framework for interpreting anxiety, repression and collective fear. Neuropsychoanalyst Mark Solms, in his recent book The Only Cure: Freud and the Neuroscience of Mental Healing, argues that contemporary neuroscience validates Freud’s theory of the unconscious. He suggests that while medication may offer temporary relief, long-term healing requires deeper analytic engagement.
Alongside Solms, contemporary analysts such as Jamieson Webster and Patricia Gherovici have revived psychoanalysis’s political dimension. Their work revisits foundational concepts such as the unconscious, the death drive, repression and narcissism to interpret modern phenomena—from digital alienation to the psychology of authoritarian leadership. In an era defined by algorithmic influence and polarised politics, Freud’s ideas are increasingly viewed as tools for making sense of what often feels senseless.
The renewed interest suggests that psychoanalysis thrives in moments when societies confront instability and moral uncertainty. As authoritarian tendencies and AI-driven transformations reshape public life, Freud’s enduring questions about desire, power and the unconscious appear newly urgent—positioning psychoanalysis not as a relic of the past, but as a lens for understanding the present.
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