The Century of the Self: Video Summary

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Table of Contents

The Main Argument of the Video
Summary
Opposing Viewpoints
Cinematographic Devices
Strengthening the Points
Film’s Educational Qualities
Questions
Works Cited

The Main Argument of the Video

“A hundred years ago, a new theory about human nature was put forward by Sigmund Freud. He had discovered, he said, primitive sexual and aggressive forces hidden deep inside the minds of all human beings. Forces which, if not controlled, individuals and societies to chaos and destruction. This series is about how those in power have used Freud’s theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy” (The Century of the Self).

Summary

The video can be divided into four parts. The first part tells about Sigmund Freud’s work in Vienna and how his ideas of “dangerous instinctual drives” hidden deep inside all people were criticized (The Century of the Self). This part delves deeper into the origins of psychoanalysis and features commentary by Freud’s colleague, Dr. Ernest Jones.

The second part introduces and concentrates on Freud’s nephew, Edward Bernays, whose parents immigrated to America in 1892. During WWI, Bernays was employed by the Committee of Public Information, where he promoted the idea of spreading democracy all over Europe. This part of the film is complemented by the extracts from propagandistic films of that time, archive footage of the parades and rallies, photographs, etc. There are also extracts from the 1991 interview with Bernays where he shares his memories of President Wilson inviting him to the Peace Conference in Paris. This opportunity facilitated Bernays’ resolve to attempt to use the same propagandistic techniques during the time of peace.

The third part of the movie tells about the first attempts at this, including the successful campaign to convince women that smoking symbolizes independence and strength of character, product placement in movies, the opening of the first convenience store chains, etc. He proved that information drove behavior and almost single-handedly launched the era of consumerism. The economic crisis in Vienna and the publication of Freud’s works in America are also briefly mentioned in this part.

The last part – the longest one – is about Bernays’ rise to power and his downfall as the ideas of democracy fell out of favor. This part concentrates on the changes the newly elected President Roosevelt was making to lead America out of the economic crisis, the alternatives to democracy that were being sought around the world, and Bernays’ later career. The episode ends with Sigmund Freud’s immigration to England and death.

Opposing Viewpoints

The most obvious question the video asks: “Is it good or is it bad to appeal to the crowd’s desires? What if the crowd wants a wrong thing?” As Ann Bernays, Edward Bernays‘ daughter, but it Edward’s conviction was in the fact that the masses should be guided from above in order to choose the right things, which is not so much democracy the ideas of which he adored so much, but a form of despotism, a totalitarian society (The Century of the Self). In 1928, when President Herbert Hoover came to power, America practically proclaimed consumerism its foremost national idea and announced that “turning people into constantly moving happiness machines” was its major goal (The Century of the Self). No matter how many things have been done to broaden the perceptions of the Americans (for example, making everyone accept the idea of women smoking, which was a nice step in the direction of higher gender equality), the initial reason behind all this was Bernays’ personal enrichment and influence growth. His impact on the commercial and economic development of the US essentially came from him exploiting the crowd instinct for his own benefit. He never regarded consumers as individuals and basically viewed them as a tool needed to make the gears in the economic system turn.

Cinematographic Devices

The director, Adam Curtis, narrates the majority of the documentary’s text, skillfully juxtaposing it with archive footage, panoramas of nowadays New York and Vienna, and interviews with contemporary experts such as Pat Jackson, the Public Relations Adviser, and Bernays’s colleague, Peter Strauss, Bernays’ former employee (1948-1952), Stuart Ewen, a historian of Public Relations, Dr. Ernest Federn, a Viennese psychoanalyst, Bernays’ daughter Ann, etc.

Strengthening the Points

Peter Strauss says that Bernays “originated the emotional connection to a product or service” (The Century of the Self). It enhanced America’s economic growth and invented a whole new profession – public relations. Bernays’ techniques are still used to this day. He was the one to encourage common working people to take loans from banks and buy market stocks. He was also the one to connect the concept of democracy to the idea of capitalism and sell it as the ultimate model of American life. Using his uncle’s research to manipulate the desires of the public, he has created the system of consumerism and commerce that we know now. Without Bernays, we would not have even had the concept of a TV product commercial. Historically, he left just as huge an impact on social behavior as the creation of psychoanalysis.

Film’s Educational Qualities

Interesting narrative carefully picked interviewees, and lots and lots of rare documentary materials make this series quite an educational and engaging watch. I especially like the fact that the names of the interviewees reappear along with the movie. It is very convenient, and it helps you remember all these people faster.

Questions

Do the interviewees think that Freud’s idea of human civilization being nothing more than an attempt to restrain humanity’s destructive animalistic impulses has some merit?

What can other kinds of human desires be capitalized on?

Works Cited

The Century of the Self – Part 1 of 4 – Happiness Machine. Ex. Prod. Adam Curtis. London, United Kingdom: BBC. 2002. BBC Two.

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