Populism: The Politics of Emotions

Divisions in society attract unconscious processes. These are inevitably difficult to deal with because, being unconscious, they are not 'known.' The first step however to managing such difficulties is to know they do exist. Mutual dynamics occur between the 'people' as a group in opposition to the 'elite.' The two groupings can be seen to connect and align themselves with each other dialectically. Aspects of these hidden processes which define each other and themselves will be examined here. The conclusion is that democracy invites freedom of expression but allows a freedom of 'projection.'