LifePsych®.com is an educational web site that promotes positive psychology and the professional consulting practice of David L. Hanson, Ph.D. LifePsych®.com is dedicated to providing a positive understanding of human nature; providing positive techniques to implement this knowledge in daily living; and promoting a positive quality of life for all people by strengthening worldwide democracy and socially interested capitalism.
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"Gemeinschaftsgefuhl" - the "Invisible hands" of Socially Interested Capitalism by David L. Hanson
David Hume (1711-1776), the great Scottish philosopher, provided many intellectual gifts to democracy and economic systems. Along with Adam Smith, a Scottish founder of important economic theories, Hume provided guidance for the foundation of democratic capitalism. By adding Alfred Adler's psychological theory into the mix, we have what I call "socially interested capitalism." Adam Smith coined the term "invisible hand" referring to this belief that individual choices will lead to maximum societal living, including maximum productivity. In the case of social and economic Darwinism, class struggles and markets are based solely on self-interest. However, participation in this glorification of human greed does not work well in the creation of happiness and the experience of a full life. Adler's "gemeinschaftsgefuhl" (or "innate social interest") is the glue that integrates pure self-interest and ruthless competitive productivity into a constructive guiding "hand." This can also be viewed as a mystical dimension, or the hand of God in human affairs. Self Above Service leads to discouragement. Service Beyond Self leads to a constructive response to life and the experience of happiness. See the Realities Matrix
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