Ideas of Individualism in 'The Century of the Self' - A few initial thoughts

I recently finished watching Adam Curtis's 'The Century of the self.' This incredibly thought provoking documentary draws a direct line through history, showing how human obsession with psychoanalysis has defined marketing, advertising and political movements throughout the twentieth century.

"There is a policeman in my head, and he must be destroyed",

In the third section of 'The Century of the Self,' Curtis explores how rebellious new methods of psychoanalysis in the 1960s were a direct rejection of the Freudian idea  of suppressing thoughts and emotions in order to control the 'dangerous irrational' aspects of human nature lurking beneath. A huge social collective uprising was then born, in which the ideas of individuality, creativity, self-harmony, and rebelling against a society of passive consumerism were brought to the attention of the world. The changes in culture were embraced by the public to the extent that people in the world of advertising would have to change tactics in a dramatic way.
No longer would the product be shown to be a necessity to the needs of the public, but rather with the emphasis being on how it could appease the desire to be seen as an individual in the eyes of society.

The fantastic series 'Mad Men' demonstrates how the most creative minds in advertising were starting to harness these ideas in the early sixties, and certain methods were being developed. There was a definite shift in promoting how good a certain product was, and what a product could say about you as a person over this time period.

This notion of self-interest and individualism also spilled over into the world of politics by the end of the 1970s.

It would be hopeful to suggest a politician promoting the suggestion that society should work together would have a positive influence on people's voting intentions, but Curtis shows that research demonstrates otherwise.
Through a then new idea, originating in psychoanalysis, and harnessed by politicians, known as 'focus groups,' in which members of the public would be analysed to find out what people really wanted, it had become obvious that people are much more likely to vote based on selfish intentions about what the government could do for them personally. This was a discovery that Reagan and Thatcher both used to their advantage in their respective pre-election campaigns in the late seventies/early eighties, and helped to get them elected.

The idea that the collective feeling of positivity that surrounded individualism and expression in the 60s and 70s, was now being harnessed in a different way by the political right at the end of the 70s/early 80s,  so steeped in associations of rebellious rejection against a brainwashing, emotionally docile consumerist society, I found to be a fascinating concept.
This demonstrates the deep shrewdness and manipulation that occurs in politics and big business. It would be rare to find someone supportive of concepts of freedom of expression promoted in the 60s and 70s, who would also think positively about the self motivated society that underpinned Thatcher's government, and made parts of Britain so deeply divided during this time. Though Curtis shows how certain ideas of individualism are a common occurrence in both.

In presenting the world of psychoanalysis, it is a startling realisation that the individual can be so influenced by a school of thought, and rather frightening to the extent that people can make themselves believe one particular idea about the workings of a human mind.

'The Century of the Self' is altogether brilliantly realised.  By presenting the facts in such a focused and honest way, there is an underlying warning throughout about how dangerous the notion of individualism is, and how damaging to society it can be.