Fear and Loathing in the 21st Century

article

Tom Ferraro

Abstract

This article explores the causes of today’s heightened levels of anger, anxiety, alienation, and despair. The 21^st century zeitgeist has been shaped by four major social trends: the destruction of the social, information overload, the dominance of secularism, and increases in narcissism, or what Émile Durkheim once referred to as “extreme individualism.” Recommended solutions to this cultural crisis are explored.

Keywords:

alienation, anger, anomie, anxiety, cultural crisis, fear, hyper competitiveness, media saturation. narcissism, overload, psychohistory, secularism, zeitgeist

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About the author

Tom Ferraro

Tom Ferraro, PhD, is a writer and psychoanalyst whose work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The London Times. He can be reached at .

How to cite this article

Ferraro, T. (2026). Fear and loathing in the 21st century. Clio’s Psyche, 33(1), 26-31.

https://doi.org/10.70763/1de7d2b90d554be9f0db1c338e80197d