Abstract
The article examines the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi from a psychological perspective. Special attention is given to the psychoanalytic study of Gandhi by Erik Erikson, Gandhi’s Truth, in 1969. The author notes his personal connection with Erikson’s book, which profoundly influenced his thinking (and life). The article alternates between a close psychological reading of Erikson’s book and Gandhi’s My Experiments with Truth. The larger point of the article is to reflect on the future of satyagraha or nonviolence. Gandhi’s own meanings of satyagraha are often difficult for many to accept, given the psychological violence that infected his form of nonviolence. His flaws, which must be reluctantly acknowledged, challenge us to formulate our own meanings of nonviolence (given our own flaws), since some form of satyagraha may be the only hope of survival for a world threatened with ultimate destruction.
Recommended Citation
Strozier, Charles B.
(2021)
"Psychological Reflections on Mahatma Gandhi and the Future of Satyagraha,"
New England Journal of Public Policy: Vol. 33:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol33/iss1/6