Freud and Globalization: A Psychological Overview of the Nationalism Phenomenon during the Globalization Age

Globalization processes increase inequalities that create envy and hostility, in parallel to the weakening of the nation-state, which creates anxiety and helplessness. The yearning for nationalism is a social defense against those processes. Freud claimed that the humiliation of one element in society turns it into a vengeful enemy. Inside groups, personal characteristics become blurry; individuals feel power and surrender to drives and aggressiveness. Therefore, as long as economic globalization is not channeled into building trust and fairness for the benefit of all players in the global field, instead of leveraging the quality of life, humanity will face conflicts, stress, and fear.