Ideological Underpinnings of Absurdity and Hypernormalization

Matthijs Bal (), Andy Brookes (), Dieu Hack-Polay (), Maria Kordowicz () and John Mendy ()
Additional contact information
Matthijs Bal: University of Lincoln
Andy Brookes: University of Lincoln
Dieu Hack-Polay: University of Lincoln
Maria Kordowicz: University of Lincoln
John Mendy: University of Lincoln

Chapter 3 in The Absurd Workplace, 2023, pp 55-78 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract In this chapter, the ideological underpinnings of absurdity and its normalization are explored. First, the chapter discusses a psychology of absurdity in order to understand the functioning of absurdity within the individual psyche. Furthermore, the chapter discusses how the fantasmatic investment in and internalization of absurdity enable individuals to manage the absurdities arising from the perpetual gap between authoritative discourse (e.g., companies’ commitment to climate action) and actual day-to-day practices (e.g., companies’ continued investment in fossil fuels). The chapter explicitly links absurdity and hypernormalization to its ideological functioning and is based on Žižek’s theory of ideology as fantasy construction. In this theory, absurdity and its normalization can be understood to function ideologically and are maintained through the emergence and development of a fantasy of normality. This serves a strong psychological function, in providing a feeling of security and sense of self (i.e., ontological security). The chapter finishes with a discussion of the threat that the exposure of absurdity poses to the ontological security of the individual.

Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-031-17887-0_3

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783031178870

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-17887-0_3

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Books from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().