The Century of the Self

Adam Curtis' acclaimed series examines the rise of the all-consuming self against the backdrop of the Freud dynasty. To many in both 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 in Britain and the United States. How was the all-consuming self created, by whom, and in whose interests? The Freud dynasty is at the heart of this compelling social history. Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis; Edward Bernays, who invented public relations; Anna Freud, Sigmund's devoted daughter; and present-day PR guru and Sigmund's great grandson, Matthew Freud. Sigmund Freud's work into the bubbling and murky world of the subconscious changed the world. By introducing a technique to probe the unconscious mind, Freud provided useful tools for understanding the secret desires of the masses. Unwittingly, his work served as the precursor to a world full of political spin doctors, marketing moguls, and society's belief that the pursuit of satisfaction and happiness is man's ultimate goal.

Сто лет назад Зигмунд Фрейд выдвинул новую теорию о природе человека. Он говорил, что обнаружил, «примитивные сексуальные и агрессивные силы, спрятанные глубоко в сознании всего человечества». Силы, которые если их не контролировать, ведут людей и общество к хаосу и разрушению. Эта серия фильмов о том, как правящие элиты, использовали теории Фрейда, чтобы контролировать опасную толпу в эпоху всеобщей демократии.

'The century of the Self' (El siglo del individualismo) es una serie de cuatro documentales de la BBC, en los que el genial Adam Curtis disecciona la influencia de la psicología de masas y la propaganda en la creación de la sociedad de consumo y el Poder en sí mismo del siglo XX. Digamos que, más allá de sociedades secretas, el documental, extraordinariamente conducido, nos introduce en las entrañas del poder sobre las masas, en la publicidad, la propaganda, las relaciones públicas y los medios de comunicación. Cuando lo veas, sabrás por qué es tan vital para producir un cambio planetario que la gente sepa cómo el Poder nos manipula.