The Moral Masochism at the Heart of Christianity: Evidence from Russian Orthodox Iconography and Icon Veneration

Rancour-Laferriere, Daniel

doi:10.1353/psy.2003.0016

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…In the wake of the USSR opening up in the late 1980s, Westerners observed that Russians did not smile often, requiring training of employees in this basic element of customer service (Tongren et al, 1994). Some have argued that, in line with these stereotypes and observations, Russian models of emotions place value on negative emotions, such as sadness, linking this tendency to Orthodox Christianity and stoicism that emerged in response to historical hardships (Rancour-Laferriere, 2003;Wierzbicka, 1998aWierzbicka, , 1998bWierzbicka, , 1999.…”

Section: Russian Cultural Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

And they all lived unhappily ever after: Positive and negative emotions in American and Russian picture books.

Chentsova‐Dutton¹,

Leontyeva²,

Halberstadt³

et al. 2021

Emotion

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Section: Russian Cultural Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

And they all lived unhappily ever after: Positive and negative emotions in American and Russian picture books.

Chentsova‐Dutton¹,

Leontyeva²,

Halberstadt³

et al. 2021

Emotion

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“…The Christian discourse of any denomination, for instance, from the very beginning, that is, from Christ's death for the sins of others, contained an unmistakable masochistic dimension (Rancour-Laferriere, 2003). Christ voluntarily chose to die, but his last words on the cross had to do with his feeling betrayed by the Other (i.e.…”

Section: The Case Study 1: Russiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Masochism in political behavior: a Lacanian perspective

Kovacevic

2011

Appl Psychoanal Studies

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The aim of this paper is to offer an explanation of masochism in political behavior using the concepts developed by the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. For the purposes of this paper, masochism in political behavior is defi ned as any political behavior in which the protagonists willingly pursue self-directed pain and suffering in order to accomplish their political goals. It involves the self-chosen endangerment of one's life and liberty and thus includes a whole range of contemporary behaviors, from hunger strikes and suicide bombers to the old "escape from freedom" phenomena now on the rise even in the established democracies. Lacan's basic thesis is that masochistic behavior is an effort on the part of the subject to establish law-giving structures where there were none before. In other words, the masochist's sacrifi ce is a provocative attempt to carve out an autonomous space in the political environment whose structure does not allow it. This is why the masochist's "victories" will by necessity be temporary and will require constant repetition. Lasting changes in political structures necessitate other types of behavior. In order to provide evidence for this thesis, I will present two detailed case studies. One will explore the issue of masochism in the Russian political culture based on the studies by Daniel Rancour-Laferriere. The second case study will be based on my own research and fi rst-hand experiences as an active participant in the political life of Montenegro.

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“…Over the course of the last century, sadness has become increasingly pathologized in North America (Horwitz & Wakefield, 2007). In contrast, Russian (Rancour-Laferriere, 2003;Wierzbicka, 1998Wierzbicka, , 1999 cultural context places an emphasis on sensitivity to losses and ability to experience and express sadness. The same may be true of East Asian cultural contexts (Lock, 1995).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“I felt sad and did not enjoy life”: Cultural context and the associations between anhedonia, depressed mood, and momentary emotions

Chentsova‐Dutton

Choi

Ryder

et al. 2015

Transcult Psychiatry

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The meanings of "anhedonia" and "depressed mood," the cardinal emotional symptoms of major depression, may be shaped by cultural norms regarding pleasure and sadness. Thirty-two European Americans, 26 Hispanic Americans, 33 Asian Americans, and 20 Russian Americans provided reports of (a) depressive symptoms, (b) momentary emotions and pleasure, and (c) global subjective well-being. Momentary reports were collected over 10 days using handheld personal digital assistants. Reports of anhedonia were associated with heightened levels of momentary low arousal negative emotions (e.g., sadness), whereas reports of depressed mood were associated with dampened levels of momentary positive emotions (e.g., happiness). Symptoms of anhedonia and depressed mood interacted in their associations with momentary pleasure. In addition, the associations of anhedonia and depressed mood with positive emotions and life satisfaction differed across cultural groups. Specifically, these symptoms were associated with dampened positive emotions in the Asian American group only. Additionally, anhedonia was associated with dampened global life satisfaction in the European American group only. These results suggest that reports of anhedonia and depressed mood cannot be interpreted at face value as specific and culture-free indicators ofCorresponding author: Yulia Chentsova-Dutton, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, 306 White-Gravenor Hall, 3700 O Street, NW, Box 571001, Washington, DC 20057. Email: yec2@georgetown.edu emotional deficits. Instead, they appear to signal changes in the balance of positive and negative emotions, with the exact nature of these signals shaped at least in part by cultural context. This conclusion has important consequences for the clinical interpretation of depressive symptoms in multicultural societies.

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The Moral Masochism at the Heart of Christianity: Evidence from Russian Orthodox Iconography and Icon Veneration

Cited by 8 publications

References 8 publications

And they all lived unhappily ever after: Positive and negative emotions in American and Russian picture books.

And they all lived unhappily ever after: Positive and negative emotions in American and Russian picture books.

Masochism in political behavior: a Lacanian perspective

“I felt sad and did not enjoy life”: Cultural context and the associations between anhedonia, depressed mood, and momentary emotions

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