Re: Psychopathology and Capitalism

["Devine, James" <jdevine@xxxxxxx>]

David S writes: 
> What is the general theory that psychopathology is rewarded 
> and encouraged by the structure of corporations in capitalist 
> society?  As opposed to what?  Why more so than other 
> structures, such as rising through the ranks of the Communist 
> Party in the Soviet Union (or any political party for that 
> matter). 

markets encourage self-centered (not conscience-centered) behavior. Among others, Kenneth Arrow has pointed out that "Under the system of a free market, such feelings [social values, the ordering of possible social situations according to moral standards] play no direct part in social choice . . . The market mechanism . . . takes into account only the ordering according to [individual] tastes [and material consumption by the individual]."  (Social Choice and Individual Values, 2nd ed. (New Haven, CT: Yale U.P., 1963), 18.)

As for corporate hierarchies, they are much the same as the structure of the CPSU and similar bureaucratic organizations. One succeeds by pleasing the higher-ups, serving the Party Line. In the case of a political party, at least the official goal of the organization goes beyond psychopathic (self-centered) ones and the public judges them partly on that basis, accepting them as legitimate, rejecting and resisting them, or somewhere in-between. But a profit-seeking corporation's Party Line is simply to raise stockholder value, i.e., a psychopathic goal. Public-interested goals almost always window-dressing for public relations purposes. Other goals -- having lots of corporate jets -- provide jollies to well-placed agents who abuse the principals (stockholders).

A democratic organization encourages public-spirited action. Though sociopaths can take advantage of democratic mores (aiming to convert them into bureaucratic organizations with themselves in charge, etc.) the social situation of open discussion and debate and equal voice in major decision-making helps prevent this. 

>  In fact, is it not more correct to say that 
> psychopathology always has existed and will always exist, and 
> capitalism efficiently and productively channels 
> psychpathology (as opposed to uniquely encouraging it), which 
> is the Lockean defense of capitalism?

The Lockean idea -- associated with popular interpretations of Adam Smith -- is that competitive markets encourages greedy people to serve the public interest. Serious students of economics know that this is simplistic. Among other things, the ubiquity of externalities encourages an active seeking of ways to dump costs on others, while internalized external benefits. And market competition encourages a non-solidaristic mentality. 
 
> Regarding corporations, everybody should be happy to know 
> that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held this week that a 
> corporation can sue for violations of civil rights protecting 
> against racial discrimination, which necessarily required the 
> Court to hold that a corporation can have a race.    Tinket 
> Ink Information Resources, Inc. v. Sun Microsystems, Inc., 
> 2004 WL 1088296 (9th Cir. 2004).

can a corporation have a gender, too? or rather, can a corporation have sex? 

Jim Devine