Überlegungen zu Manès Sperbers »Zur Analyse der Tyrannis«

Abstract

Even at the age of twenty-one, Manès Sperber joined Alfred Adler’s circle and took a close look on Individual Psychology. Soon he was considered one of Adler’s most talented pupils, at least by his teacher. After some years he turned his face more and more towards communism and the Communist Party, alongside gaining distance from Adler and his ideas. Adler and Sperber parted from each other. Sperber, who later left the Communist Party, notwithstanding this, never stopped dealing with issues and methods of Individual or Adlerian Psychology. He did it his own way, undoubtedly, but it remains highly visible throughout Sperber’s literary, autobiographical, and essayistic oeuvre. Based on a differentiating lecture of his essay »Zur Analyse der Tyrannis« the paramount relevance of Adlerian concepts for Sperber’s writing shall be presented and explained exemplarily. An important concept known from Individual Psychology Sperber deals with in his essay is the idea of »Gemeinschaftsgefühl« (sense of community). His view on this concept changes, not at least according to personal experience. In this respect it will be helpful also to take into consideration biographical and historical conditions of Sperber’s thinking.