Reflections on Community and History: In Honor of Philip Cushman

Philip Cushman's article in this issue (Cushman, 2023) exemplifies his desire to help repair the brokenness that he recognized in people's selves and in the societies that constitute them. He sees in the rise of authoritarian populist nationalism a move toward "politics as a kind of therapy," which, ironically, exacerbates the moral deformations inherent in contemporary social life and the form of individualistic selfhood it spawns. He traces this to the loss of community and shared meanings, a loss he blames on modernity. I would have liked to ask him some questions about his analysis. Rather than embodying a new form of selfhood, might the resentful and cultlike behaviors of some of Trump's followers arise from psychological dynamics similar to those of millenarian movements that recur across eras and cultures? Also, how would the improved society he envisions avoid the constraints and exclusions that can come with traditional communities' ascribed roles and hierarchies? Public Significance Statement This article discusses how various intersecting situations and stakeholders have contributed to the rise of antidemocratic authoritarian nationalism. Current susceptibility to charismatic authoritarianism in the United States results, in part, from societal and psychological dynamics similar to those found in millenarian movements that recur across eras and cultures. This article draws on views of modernity, community, and subjectivity that are different from those of Cushman, while it also honors his contributions to psychology and the community of theoretical-philosophical psychologists.