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This book returns critical theory to its roots in both psychology and the social sciences. It shows some of the relationships between equality in a political and social sense and personal identity that either relates well to such equality, or rebels against it. All this reflects processes of social and cultural influence that involve not only random change but also processes of social and cultural evolution that themselves have effects regarding potentials for self-fulfillment and even public morality. This book provides a framework to help one study the interaction between individual aspirations and social opportunities.

Jerome Braun, known for his writings in interdisciplinary social science, an approach he calls pragmatic critical theory, here provides a book that discusses issues relevant to the moral underpinnings of democratic society, including issues of social evolution and of culture and personality.

This book will be of particular interest to scholars and students of Psychology (particularly in the areas of Psychology of Personality and Cultural Psychology), Sociology (especially those interested in Sociology of Alienation and Sociology of Culture, as well as Sociology of Mental Health), Anthropology (particularly in the area of Psychological Anthropology), Cultural Studies, and Social Theory in general.

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Foreword; Prof. C. Fred Alford.- Chapter 1. Introduction.- Part I. Democracy and Character.- Chapter 2. Understanding Democracy as a Prerequisite for Spreading Democracy.- Chapter 3. The Faking of Charisma and Decadence: Cultural Decay Through the Ages.- Chapter 4. Modernity and Intimacy.- Chapter 5. How Nationalism is Similar to Juvenile Delinquency.- Part II. Pragmatism and Character.- Chapter 6. Pragmatism as the Basis of American Culture in an Individualistic Society.- Chapter 7. Formal and Informal Uses of Law for Ensuring Personal Freedom: A Short Cross-Cultural Comparison.- Part III. The Evolution of Democratic Character and Culture.- Chapter 8. Limited Alternatives and Personal Identity: The Relation Between Freedom and Personal Responsibility.- Chapter 9. America as a Post-Feudal Society, or How to Relate to the Islamic World.- Chapter 10. Personal Versus Impersonal Forms of Exploitation.-Part IV. Conclusion.- Chapter 11. Politics from the Bottom Up, Rather Than the Top Down.- Chapter 12. Means and Ends in Personal Relationships.- Chapter 13. The Sense of Self in Democratic Societies.- Chapter 14. A Basic Summary on Social Evolution and Character.- Bibliography.

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