PSYCHOANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN NATURE IN POLITICAL REALISM

The article is devoted to the restoration of the concept of human nature in the theory of political realism. The crisis of theory of international relations at the turn of the 20th and 21th centuries forced the followers of political realism to reconsider the main ideas of the structural realism of...

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Main Author: Aleksandr Alekseevich Rozhkov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) 2018-12-01
Series:RUDN Journal of Political Science
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.rudn.ru/political-science/article/viewFile/20402/16572
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author Aleksandr Alekseevich Rozhkov
author_facet Aleksandr Alekseevich Rozhkov
author_sort Aleksandr Alekseevich Rozhkov
collection DOAJ
description The article is devoted to the restoration of the concept of human nature in the theory of political realism. The crisis of theory of international relations at the turn of the 20th and 21th centuries forced the followers of political realism to reconsider the main ideas of the structural realism of Kenneth Walz and to begin to study the internal factors of world politics. Thus, scientists need an intellectual basis, on the foundation of which new realistic ideas could appear. The author shows, that some adequate ways to solve this problem is to return to the classical concept of “human nature”. The article uses Robert Sсhuett's book “Political Realism, Freud and Human Nature in International Relations”. Psychoanalytic understanding of this problem makes it possible to clarify key ideas of political realism, including the expansionist behavior of states on the world stage, their desire for security, and the negative attitude of realists towards the use of universal values in international relations. As shown in the article, the key authors of realism were not only influenced by Freud's ideas, but also used his legacy to create their own theory. For example, the idea of the founding father of political realism Hans Morgenthau about the egoistic nature of man is based on the psychoanalytic understanding of love and destructive aspirations. The reasoning of classical realists about the causes and role of nationalism in the formation of international relations is also in close connection with ideas of psychoanalysis. Representation of realists about the elitist essence of power practically repeats Freud's words about the irrationality of the masses and the key role of enlightened rulers.
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spelling doaj.art-aaa53d9420af4f63afc0e93eb41764052022-12-21T18:57:12ZengPeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)RUDN Journal of Political Science2313-14382313-14462018-12-0120459560810.22363/2313-1438-2018-20-4-595-60817256PSYCHOANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN NATURE IN POLITICAL REALISMAleksandr Alekseevich Rozhkov0Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityThe article is devoted to the restoration of the concept of human nature in the theory of political realism. The crisis of theory of international relations at the turn of the 20th and 21th centuries forced the followers of political realism to reconsider the main ideas of the structural realism of Kenneth Walz and to begin to study the internal factors of world politics. Thus, scientists need an intellectual basis, on the foundation of which new realistic ideas could appear. The author shows, that some adequate ways to solve this problem is to return to the classical concept of “human nature”. The article uses Robert Sсhuett's book “Political Realism, Freud and Human Nature in International Relations”. Psychoanalytic understanding of this problem makes it possible to clarify key ideas of political realism, including the expansionist behavior of states on the world stage, their desire for security, and the negative attitude of realists towards the use of universal values in international relations. As shown in the article, the key authors of realism were not only influenced by Freud's ideas, but also used his legacy to create their own theory. For example, the idea of the founding father of political realism Hans Morgenthau about the egoistic nature of man is based on the psychoanalytic understanding of love and destructive aspirations. The reasoning of classical realists about the causes and role of nationalism in the formation of international relations is also in close connection with ideas of psychoanalysis. Representation of realists about the elitist essence of power practically repeats Freud's words about the irrationality of the masses and the key role of enlightened rulers.http://journals.rudn.ru/political-science/article/viewFile/20402/16572SchuettFreudhuman naturethe theory of international relationspolitical realismclassical realismstructural realismpsychoanalysis
spellingShingle Aleksandr Alekseevich Rozhkov
PSYCHOANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN NATURE IN POLITICAL REALISM
RUDN Journal of Political Science
Schuett
Freud
human nature
the theory of international relations
political realism
classical realism
structural realism
psychoanalysis
title PSYCHOANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN NATURE IN POLITICAL REALISM
title_full PSYCHOANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN NATURE IN POLITICAL REALISM
title_fullStr PSYCHOANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN NATURE IN POLITICAL REALISM
title_full_unstemmed PSYCHOANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN NATURE IN POLITICAL REALISM
title_short PSYCHOANALYSIS AND RESTORATION OF THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN NATURE IN POLITICAL REALISM
title_sort psychoanalysis and restoration of the concept of human nature in political realism
topic Schuett
Freud
human nature
the theory of international relations
political realism
classical realism
structural realism
psychoanalysis
url http://journals.rudn.ru/political-science/article/viewFile/20402/16572
work_keys_str_mv AT aleksandralekseevichrozhkov psychoanalysisandrestorationoftheconceptofhumannatureinpoliticalrealism