Identity, Life Mission, and the Political Career: Notes on the Early Life of Subhas Chandra Bose

Abstract

The dedication to a career in politica of the Indian nationalist, Subhas Chandra Bose, seems to exemplify Lasswell's proposition regarding the displacement of personal needs onto public objects. By adolescence, after a stormy youth identity crisis, Bose had developed a deep need to find a personal mission in life, which was eventually located in the politics of the Indian independence movement. The need for a special mission appears rooted in an early sense of insignificance, which in turn is traceable to the family situation of Bose when he was a small child. His personal mission seemingly became political as a result of ethnic sensitivity evoked by school experiences and the historical events of his youth. Early family relationships seem to lie behind the asceticism and rebelliousness that characterized much of his adult life. Bose's militaristic tendencies may have represented a defense against feared weakness and passivity of the self and his society.