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The Century of the Self

January 20, 2023

For the 2009 album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, see The Century of Self.

The Century of the Self is a 2002 British television documentary series by filmmaker Adam Curtis. It focuses on the work of psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Anna Freud, and PR consultant Edward Bernays.[1] In episode one, Curtis says, "This series is about how those in power have used Freud's theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy."

The Century of the Self
Title screen
Written byAdam Curtis
Directed byAdam Curtis
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producerStephen Lambert
ProducersAdam Curtis
Lucy Kelsall
CinematographyDavid Barker
William Sowerby
Running time240 mins (in four parts)
Production companiesRDF Television
BBC
Release
Original networkBBC Two
Original release2002 (2002)
Chronology
Preceded byThe Mayfair Set (1999)
Followed byThe Power of Nightmares (2004)

Episodes

  1. "Happiness Machines" (originally broadcast 17 March 2002)[2]
  2. "The Engineering of Consent" (originally broadcast 24 March 2002)[3]
  3. "There is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads; He Must Be Destroyed" (originally broadcast 31 March 2002)[4]
  4. "Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering" (originally broadcast 7 April 2002)[5]

Overview

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, changed our perception of the mind and its workings. The documentary explores the various ways that governments, global organizations and corporations have used Freud's theories. Freud and his nephew Edward Bernays, who was the first to use psychological techniques in public relations, are discussed in part one. His daughter Anna Freud, a pioneer of child psychology, is mentioned in part two. Wilhelm Reich, an opponent of Freud's theories, is discussed in part three.

To many in politics and business, the triumph of the self is the ultimate expression of democracy, where power has finally moved to the people. Certainly, the people may feel they are in charge, but are they really? The Century of the Self tells the untold and sometimes controversial story of the growth of the mass-consumer society. How was the all-consuming self created, by whom, and in whose interests?

BBC publicity.[6]

Along these lines, The Century of the Self asks deeper questions about the roots and methods of consumerism and commodification and their implications. It also questions the modern way people see themselves, the attitudes to fashion, and superficiality.

The business and political worlds use psychological techniques to read, create and fulfill the desires of the public, and to make their products and speeches as pleasing as possible to consumers and voters. Curtis questions the intentions and origins of this relatively new approach to engaging the public.

Where once the political process was about engaging people's rational, conscious minds, as well as facilitating their needs as a group, Stuart Ewen, a historian of public relations, argues that politicians now appeal to primitive impulses that have little bearing on issues outside the narrow self-interests of a consumer society.

The words of Paul Mazur, a leading Wall Street banker working for Lehman Brothers in 1927, are cited: "We must shift America from a needs- to a desires-culture. People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been entirely consumed. [...] Man's desires must overshadow his needs."[7]

In part four the main subjects are Philip Gould, a political strategist, and Matthew Freud, a PR consultant and the great-grandson of Sigmund Freud. In the 1990s, they were instrumental to bringing the Democratic Party in the US and New Labour in the United Kingdom back into power through use of the focus group, originally invented by psychoanalysts employed by US corporations to allow consumers to express their feelings and needs, just as patients do in psychotherapy.

Curtis ends by saying that, "Although we feel we are free, in reality, we—like the politicians—have become the slaves of our own desires," and compares Britain and America to 'Democracity', an exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair created by Edward Bernays.

Contributors

Music

Awards

Nominated for:

  • Best Documentary Series, Royal Television Society[10]
  • Best Documentary Series, Grierson Documentary Awards
  • Best Documentary, Indie Awards

References

  1. ^ Adams, Tim (10 March 2002). "How Freud got under our skin". The Observer. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  2. ^ "The Century of the Self - BBC Two England - 17 March 2002". BBC Genome. No. 4071. 14 March 2002. p. 86. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  3. ^ "The Century of the Self - BBC Two England - 24 March 2002". BBC Genome. No. 4072. 21 March 2002. p. 80.
  4. ^ "The Century of the Self - BBC Two England - 31 March 2002". BBC Genome. No. 4073. 28 March 2002. p. 82.
  5. ^ "The Century of the Self - BBC Two England - 7 April 2002". BBC Genome. No. 4074. 4 April 2002. p. 70.
  6. ^ . BBC Online. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011.
  7. ^ Note: the quote is from a 1927 article by Mazur in the Harvard Business Review.
  8. ^ "BBC cleans up at Broadcast Awards 2003". Broadcast. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  9. ^ Furtado, Peter (March 2003). . History Today. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Programme Awards Winners 2002". Royal Television Society.[permanent dead link]

External links

  • The Century of the Self at BBC Online  
  • The Century of the Self at IMDb
  • The Century of the Self – BBC Documentary (by Adam Curtis) by Dan Haggard in Reviews in Depth, 25 January 2010
  • Episode guide:
    1. at BBC Online (archive copy)
    2. at BBC Online (archive copy)
    3. at BBC Online (archive copy)
    4. at BBC Online (archive copy)

January 20, 2023
century, self, 2009, album, will, know, trail, dead, century, self, 2002, british, television, documentary, series, filmmaker, adam, curtis, focuses, work, psychoanalysts, sigmund, freud, anna, freud, consultant, edward, bernays, episode, curtis, says, this, s. For the 2009 album by And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead see The Century of Self The Century of the Self is a 2002 British television documentary series by filmmaker Adam Curtis It focuses on the work of psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Anna Freud and PR consultant Edward Bernays 1 In episode one Curtis says This series is about how those in power have used Freud s theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy The Century of the SelfTitle screenWritten byAdam CurtisDirected byAdam CurtisCountry of originUnited KingdomOriginal languageEnglishNo of episodes4ProductionExecutive producerStephen LambertProducersAdam CurtisLucy KelsallCinematographyDavid BarkerWilliam SowerbyRunning time240 mins in four parts Production companiesRDF TelevisionBBCReleaseOriginal networkBBC TwoOriginal release2002 2002 ChronologyPreceded byThe Mayfair Set 1999 Followed byThe Power of Nightmares 2004 Contents 1 Episodes 2 Overview 3 Contributors 4 Music 5 Awards 6 References 7 External linksEpisodes Edit Happiness Machines originally broadcast 17 March 2002 2 The Engineering of Consent originally broadcast 24 March 2002 3 There is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads He Must Be Destroyed originally broadcast 31 March 2002 4 Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering originally broadcast 7 April 2002 5 Overview EditSigmund Freud the founder of psychoanalysis changed our perception of the mind and its workings The documentary explores the various ways that governments global organizations and corporations have used Freud s theories Freud and his nephew Edward Bernays who was the first to use psychological techniques in public relations are discussed in part one His daughter Anna Freud a pioneer of child psychology is mentioned in part two Wilhelm Reich an opponent of Freud s theories is discussed in part three To many in politics and business the triumph of the self is the ultimate expression of democracy where power has finally moved to the people Certainly the people may feel they are in charge but are they really The Century of the Self tells the untold and sometimes controversial story of the growth of the mass consumer society How was the all consuming self created by whom and in whose interests BBC publicity 6 Along these lines The Century of the Self asks deeper questions about the roots and methods of consumerism and commodification and their implications It also questions the modern way people see themselves the attitudes to fashion and superficiality The business and political worlds use psychological techniques to read create and fulfill the desires of the public and to make their products and speeches as pleasing as possible to consumers and voters Curtis questions the intentions and origins of this relatively new approach to engaging the public Where once the political process was about engaging people s rational conscious minds as well as facilitating their needs as a group Stuart Ewen a historian of public relations argues that politicians now appeal to primitive impulses that have little bearing on issues outside the narrow self interests of a consumer society The words of Paul Mazur a leading Wall Street banker working for Lehman Brothers in 1927 are cited We must shift America from a needs to a desires culture People must be trained to desire to want new things even before the old have been entirely consumed Man s desires must overshadow his needs 7 In part four the main subjects are Philip Gould a political strategist and Matthew Freud a PR consultant and the great grandson of Sigmund Freud In the 1990s they were instrumental to bringing the Democratic Party in the US and New Labour in the United Kingdom back into power through use of the focus group originally invented by psychoanalysts employed by US corporations to allow consumers to express their feelings and needs just as patients do in psychotherapy Curtis ends by saying that Although we feel we are free in reality we like the politicians have become the slaves of our own desires and compares Britain and America to Democracity an exhibit at the 1939 New York World s Fair created by Edward Bernays Contributors EditDr Alfred Pritz President World Council for Psychotherapy Countess Erzie Karolyi Edward Bernays interviewed 1991 Pat Jackson PR adviser and colleague of Edward Bernays Peter Strauss employee of Edward Bernays 1948 52 Peter Solomon investment banker Lehman Brothers Stuart Ewen historian of public relations Dr Ernst Federn Viennese psychoanalyst Anne Bernays daughter of Edward Bernays George Gallup Jr pollster Marcel Faust resident of Vienna 1930s Prof Martin Bergmann psychoanalyst US Army 1943 45 Ellen Herman historian of American psychology Anton Freud Anna Freud s nephew Michael Burlingham Dorothy Burlingham s grandson Dr Robert Wallerstein psychoanalyst Menninger Clinic 1949 66 Dr Harold Blum psychoanalyst Dr Neil Smelser political theorist and psychoanalyst Fritz Gehagen psychoanalyst and employee of Ernest Dichter Hedy Dichter wife of Ernest Dichter Bill Schlackman psychologist and employee of Ernest Dichter Larry Tye journalist Boston Globe Howard Hunt Head of CIA Operation Guatemala 1954 Dr Heinz Lehmann psychiatrist and colleague of Dr Ewen Cameron Laughlin Taylor assistant to Dr Ewen Cameron 1958 60 Linda MacDonald patient of Dr Ewen Cameron Dr John Gittinger Chief Psychologist CIA 1950 74 Celeste Holm actress and former patient of Dr Ralph Greenson Dr Leo Rangell Los Angeles psychoanalyst Dr Alexander Lowen experimental psychotherapist 1950s Morton Herskowitz student of Wilhelm Reich 1949 52 Lore Reich Rubin Wilhelm Reich s daughter Robert Pardun student activist 1960s Herbert Marcuse interviewed 1978 Stew Albert founding member of Youth International Party Michael Murphy founder of Esalen Institute George Leonard leader Encounter Group Esalen Institute 1960s Dr William Coulson leader Nuns Encounter Group Daniel Yankelovich Yankelovich Partners Market Research Inc Werner Erhard founder of Erhard Seminars Training Jesse Kornbluth journalist New Times 1970s Jerry Rubin founder of Youth International Party interviewed 1978 Jay Ogilvy Director of Psychological Values Research SRI International 1979 88 Amina Marie Spengler Director Psychological Values Research Programme 1978 86 Jeffrey Bell speech writer to Ronald Reagan 1976 81 Christine MacNulty program manager Values and Lifestyles Team SRI International 1978 81 Robert Reich economist and member of Clinton cabinet 1993 97 Matthew Wright tabloid journalist 1993 2000 Mario Cuomo Governor New York 1982 95 archive Philip Gould Strategy Advisor for New Labour election campaign 1997 Dick Morris Strategy Advisor to President Clinton 1994 96 Mark Penn Market Researcher for President Clinton 1995 2000 Douglas Schoen Market Researcher for President Clinton 1995 2000 James Bennet Washington correspondent The New York Times Derek Draper assistant to Peter Mandelson 1992 95Music EditAaron Copland Billy the Kid ballet Arvo Part Spiegel im Spiegel Fur Alina Fratres Dmitri Shostakovich 24 Preludes and Fugues Shostakovich Prelude 1 C major Johannes Brahms Symphony No 3 in F major Op 90 beginning of the third movement poco allegretto Kano She s a Star from the album New York Cake Louis Armstrong What a Wonderful World Ralph Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Raymond Scott Portofino 2 from Manhattan Research Inc The Gold Diggers Song We re in the Money from the film Gold Diggers of 1933 Ennio Morricone Quelle foto from the film Le foto proibite di una signora per bene Felix Slatkin The Green Leaves of Summer The John Barry Seven Hit and MissAwards EditBest Documentary Series Broadcast Awards 8 Historical Film of the Year History Today Trust Awards 9 Nominated for Best Documentary Series Royal Television Society 10 Best Documentary Series Grierson Documentary Awards Best Documentary Indie AwardsReferences Edit Adams Tim 10 March 2002 How Freud got under our skin The Observer Retrieved 13 January 2013 The Century of the Self BBC Two England 17 March 2002 BBC Genome No 4071 14 March 2002 p 86 Retrieved 19 October 2015 The Century of the Self BBC Two England 24 March 2002 BBC Genome No 4072 21 March 2002 p 80 The Century of the Self BBC Two England 31 March 2002 BBC Genome No 4073 28 March 2002 p 82 The Century of the Self BBC Two England 7 April 2002 BBC Genome No 4074 4 April 2002 p 70 BBC Four Documentaries The Century of the Self BBC Online Archived from the original on 14 May 2011 Note the quote is from a 1927 article by Mazur in the Harvard Business Review BBC cleans up at Broadcast Awards 2003 Broadcast Retrieved 22 October 2015 Furtado Peter March 2003 Back to Narrative at the History Today Awards History Today Archived from the original on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 22 October 2015 Programme Awards Winners 2002 Royal Television Society permanent dead link External links EditThe Century of the Self at BBC Online The Century of the Self at IMDb The Century of the Self BBC Documentary by Adam Curtis by Dan Haggard in Reviews in Depth 25 January 2010 Episode guide Happiness Machines at BBC Online archive copy The Engineering of Consent at BBC Online archive copy There is a Policeman Inside All Our Heads He Must Be Destroyed at BBC Online archive copy Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering at BBC Online archive copy Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Century of the Self amp oldid 1125237942, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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