Self-help in socialist contexts: Nervousness and responsibilization in 1960s Hungary

Abstract

In my study, I examine, through Hungarian examples, how self-help books in the 1960s introduced responsibilization in addressing ‘nervousness’. Originally interpreted in a neoliberal context, self-help can also be applied in socialist conditions because it does not aim for societal transformation but rather addresses issues on an individual level. I argue that responsibilization, as a form of governing technology, appeared early in relation to nervousness because it concerns a well-defined problem area and state healthcare was unable to provide an effective response, emerging as part of a smaller-scale psycho-boom that preceded the broader expansion of psy-knowledge traditionally associated with the 1970s. The individual's responsibilization goes hand in hand with the irresponsibility of the state, and the concept implies that rather than providing freedom to address the problem, it offers a repertoire of behaviors expected within the given framework, to which the individual must voluntarily commit (self-governance). There were specific characteristics of the Hungarian context that supported the emergence of self-help literature, partly rooted in political factors (like the revolution of 1956), and partly in psychiatric professional traditions. Alongside psychoanalysis, Marxist concepts and practical Pavlovian techniques played important roles, creatively psychologizing socialist citizens and proposing solutions to their psychological issues. All this, in addition to responsibilization, also signifies the development of a more caring relationship with the human body and psyche, compared to the earlier cult of self-control.