Judith Butler's *The Psychic Life of Power* argues that psychic life is produced by the social operation of power, and conversely, that this produced psyche then conceals and fortifies the very power that generated it. The book synthesizes social theory, philosophy, and psychoanalysis to analyze the theory of subject formation, extending ideas from Butler's prior work.
Readers will understand how power operates not just externally but through the internalized structures of the psyche. The book details the cyclical relationship where power shapes our inner lives, and our internalized psychic reality, in turn, reinforces the social structures of power.
Key concepts
- Psychic life generated by social operation of power — The idea that our inner psychological existence is a product of societal power dynamics.
- Social operation of power concealed and fortified by psyche — The concept that the psyche we develop, influenced by power, serves to hide and strengthen that same power.
- Theory of subject formation — Butler's sustained analysis of how individuals are constituted as subjects through social and psychic processes.