Powerlessness Corruptsit isolates us, makes us distrust others, makes intimacy difficult, and convinces us to "fit in" to

lives that offer little real fulfillment. Yet most people show a deep "loyalty to powerlessness-they both believe it is inevitable and act as though it were somehow appropriate to what they deserve. Describing the roots of these feelings in what he calls the Social Unconscious, Dr. Michael Lerner provides a new analysis of childhood, family life, and the psychodynamics of the world of work-as well as a penetrating critique of the ideology of science, the belief in moral relativism, and the dominant approaches to psychotherapy and empowerment. He provides a fresh analysis of religion, politics and psychotherapy-showing the ways in which they can be used to reinforce passivity, but also how each can be ingredient in a liberatory social practice. He analyzes why social change movements often defeat themselves and pre- sents a powerful strategy for incorporating an understanding of human emotions into the politics of progressive social movements.

SURPLUS POWERLESSNESS is a unique book. Because it provides a sophisticated understanding of the Psychodynamics of Everyday Life, it will be useful both to individuals and psychotherapists concerned with empower ment, as well as a guide for anyone interested in the psychology of politics Yet it roots its practical concerns in the development of a new theory that is itself a significant contribution to psychology and social thought.