09/05/26

With all the political upheaval in our day, and the uncensored, venomous speech that fills the airwaves and newspapers every day, it makes me ask: “What’s going on with these people?” I found in the dictionary that they are called many things, such as anarchists, malcontents, or revolutionaries. They are frequently described using general adjectives for rebellious people such as unruly, alienated, or insubordinate. The one that stuck out for me was “Anarchist.” So I decided to dig deeper and find out what psychologists say about such individuals or groups.

I found out that psychologists generally view anarchism not as mindless chaos, but as a sociopolitical philosophy advocating for self-governance, autonomy, and the rejection of oppressive hierarchies. Critical and community psychologists explore how anarchist principles—such as mutual aid and free association—foster human well-being by reducing the psychological harm caused by centralized authority and social inequality. While mainstream psychology has historically focused heavily on individual behavior rather than systemic power, radical thinkers have long engaged with anarchist ideas.

The relationship between psychology and anarchism encompasses several key perspectives. They viewed one’s passions as a natural, wild rebellion against societal constraints, and argued that oppressive social and political structures cause internal neuroses, suggesting true liberation requires dismantling both inner and outer authority. Furthermore, they go on to say reliance on the state and legal systems decreases an individual’s ability to solve problems collectively. They advocate for “prefigurative politics”—creating non-hierarchical, democratic relationship structures within daily life to foster autonomy and mental vitality. 

For me, such individuals do not want any authority telling them what to believe or do, while at the same time trying to gain authority to tell everyone else what to believe and do. In the Bible, we have an excellent example of such anarchy. It was King David who complained about people who think they can win any argument. They say, “We are so good with words, no one will be our master.” (Psalm 12:4) – Easy-to-Read Version