Even from flawed books, there is much to learn. Mattias Desmet’s The Psychology of Totalitarianism (2022), though not without its issues, offers a striking and timely reflection on the psychological conditions that allow totalitarian systems to take root—conditions that, disturbingly, resemble elements of contemporary American society.
Desmet, a Belgian professor of clinical psychology, argues that modern totalitarianism is not driven by overt tyranny but by a process he terms “mass formation.” According to him, four conditions must be present for this phenomenon to emerge: widespread loneliness and social isolation, a perceived lack of meaning, pervasive anxiety, and unaddressed frustration and aggression. When a society in this state is confronted with a focal object of fear—be it a virus, an ideology, or a scapegoated group like transgenders or immigrants—and is offered a strategy to deal with that object, there is a fair chance that the unaddressed fear will be linked to that object and that society will support this strategy to control the object of fear.
In Desmet’s view, this shift is not just political but deeply psychological. The formerly isolated individual finds a sense of unity and belonging in the collective response to the threat. This brings about a kind of euphoric solidarity, but it comes at a cost: intolerance for dissenting voices; state control over private lives, even thoughts; paranoia; a lack of ethical boundaries; diminishing diversity and creativity; hostility towards arts and culture. People believe in the system not because it is truthful or just, but because it offers them a renewed sense of connection.
In this framework, the masses become strangely tolerant of lies and contradictions—so long as the shared story is preserved. The leader, no matter how deceitful, is forgiven because he is seen as the architect of a better world. The content of policy becomes less relevant than the emotional experience of belonging.
This psychological insight is one of the book’s strongest contributions. Desmet explains convincingly why people are so drawn to collective narratives—even harmful ones—when faced with existential insecurity. His linking of mass formation to loneliness, anxiety, and lack of meaning feels especially relevant in a time of declining social trust.
Where the book becomes less persuasive is in its broader philosophical argument. Desmet claims that the roots of totalitarianism lie in the mechanistic worldview birthed by Enlightenment thinking. He critiques the modern faith in reason, science, and technological control, arguing that our obsession with data and expert-driven policy has dehumanized society. According to him, this rationalist framework leads to alienation, illnesses, psychological suffering and even increasing suicides.
He declares the Enlightenment “Great Narrative” to be finished—arguing that we are reaching a societal tipping point. In his envisioned future, humanity rediscovers itself not through reason, but through moral and ethical experience, through embodied presence, and through a rekindled relationship with the ineffable. The subjective, lived experience of the individual is restored to its central place. He even writes that feeling one’s own body is more valuable than any medicine or rational knowledge about nutrition.
In sum, The Psychology of Totalitarianism is a provocative, sometimes insightful, but uneven book. It raises urgent questions about the psychological conditions of modern society and the fragility of democratic values in times of fear. Its core thesis—that people will abandon freedom in exchange for belonging—is both sobering and illuminating. But its broader philosophical claims and rhetorical style at times undermine its credibility.
Mattias Desmet. De psychologie van totalitarisme. Pelckmans, 2022