This article critically examines the pervasive yet often-neglected influence of capitalism on psychological processes and human behavior. While capitalist ideologies like neoliberalism have entered the mainstream in psychology, there remains a lack of deeper engagement with the foundations of capitalism. The article argues that capitalism generates distinct cultural syndromes that emerged from the unique historical experiences of Western societies and are deeply rooted in the core principles of capitalism: profit motive, market competition, and private property ownership. The article then argues that these principles manifest as capitalist cultural syndromes termed the “gain primacy,” “zero-sum rivalry,” and “ownership” syndromes, which collectively drive a self-enhancement agenda resulting in an overarching “individualist syndrome.” It then explores how these syndromes maintain and reproduce social inequalities. By adopting a critical-historical approach, this article situates its analysis within a broader critique of capitalism, aiming to illuminate its impact on human thought, behavior, and well-being.Public AbstractOur thoughts, behaviors, and well-being are deeply influenced by the economic system we live in—capitalism. While psychologists have explored capitalist ideologies like neoliberalism, they often overlook capitalism’s core foundations driving inequality. This work argues that capitalism, rooted in Western colonial history, generates powerful cultural narratives prioritizing profit, competition, and private ownership. These capitalist principles manifest as pervasive societal mindsets obsessed with personal gain, viewing life as a zero-sum rivalry, and deriving self-worth from possessions. Collectively, they breed an individualistic syndrome of selfish striving at the expense of community. By understanding how these capitalist cultural forces psychologically shape us, maintaining oppressive societal hierarchies, we can reimagine economic systems that truly uplift the human spirit across all peoples and the planet we share. Unveiling capitalism’s influence is crucial to recover from its alienating effects and envision liberating alternatives.

中文翻译：

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资本主义在哪里？揭开它在心理学中的隐藏作用


本文批判性地研究了资本主义对心理过程和人类行为的普遍但经常被忽视的影响。虽然像新自由主义这样的资本主义意识形态已经进入心理学的主流，但仍然缺乏对资本主义基础的更深入参与。文章认为，资本主义产生了独特的文化综合症，这些综合症源于西方社会独特的历史经验，并深深植根于资本主义的核心原则：利润动机、市场竞争和私有财产所有权。然后，文章认为，这些原则表现为被称为“收益优先”、“零和竞争”和“所有权”综合症的资本主义文化综合症，它们共同推动了自我提升的议程，导致了总体的“个人主义综合症”。然后，它探讨了这些综合症如何维持和复制社会不平等。通过采用批判历史的方法，本文将其分析置于对资本主义的更广泛批判中，旨在阐明其对人类思想、行为和福祉的影响。公共摘要我们的思想、行为和福祉深受我们生活的经济体系——资本主义的影响。虽然心理学家探索了新自由主义等资本主义意识形态，但他们往往忽视了导致不平等的资本主义核心基础。这项工作认为，植根于西方殖民历史的资本主义产生了强大的文化叙事，优先考虑利润、竞争和私有制。这些资本主义原则表现为普遍的社会心态，痴迷于个人利益，将生活视为零和竞争，并从财产中获得自我价值。 总的来说，他们滋生了一种以牺牲社区为代价的自私奋斗的个人主义综合症。通过了解这些资本主义文化力量如何在心理上塑造我们，维持压迫性的社会等级制度，我们可以重新构想真正提升我们共享的所有民族和地球的人类精神的经济体系。揭示资本主义的影响力对于从其异化影响中恢复并设想解放性的替代方案至关重要。