Friday, April 12, 2024

Capitalist Realism, Control Societies and Mental Health

In contemporary society, the pervasive influence of capitalism extends beyond the economic realm into the psychological well-being of individuals. Mark Fisher's concept of "capitalist realism" and Gilles Deleuze's idea of "control societies" provide critical frameworks for understanding the intersection of capitalism and mental health. This essay explores how capitalist realism perpetuates a view of mental health that benefits the capitalist system by promoting individualism, depoliticizing mental illness, and creating a lucrative market for pharmaceutical companies. It also examines how this system reinforces neoliberalism by focusing on individual adjustment rather than social change.