Hysterical conversion economy of reasoning

[rylek]

Hello,

I am trying to better understand one of Lobaczewski's quotes that was mentioned in one of Laura's latest posts ( Chaos and Consent: Working Towards the Fuhrer )
I searched the Forum to see whether it has been discussed before but only found the appropriate quote in one other thread used in connection with a different topic ( "Terrorism" Hysteria )

The quote refers to "hysterization of society":

During happy times of peace and social injustice, children of the privileged classes learn to repress from their field of consciousness any of those uncomfortable concepts suggesting that they and their parents benefit from injustice. Young people learn to disqualify the moral and mental values of anyone whose work they are using to over-advantage. Young minds thus ingest habits of subconscious selection and substitution of data, which leads to a hysterical conversion economy of reasoning. They grow up to be somewhat hysterical adults who, by means of the ways adduced above, thereupon transmit their hysteria to the younger generation, which then develops these characteristics to a greater degree. The hysterical patterns for experience and behavior grow and spread downwards from the privileged classes until crossing the boundary of the first criterion of ponerology.

[The atrophy of natural critical faculties with respect to pathological individuals becomes an opening to their activities, and, at the same time, a criterion for recognizing the association in concern as ponerogenic. Let us call this the first criterion of ponerogenesis.]

When the habits of subconscious selection and substitution of thought-data spread to the macro-social level, a society tends to develop contempt for factual criticism and to humiliate anyone sounding an alarm. Contempt is also shown for other nations which have maintained normal thought-patterns and for their opinions. Egotistic thought-terrorization is accomplished by the society itself and its processes of conversive thinking. This obviates the need for censorship of the press, theater, or broadcasting, as a pathologically hypersensitive censor lives within the citizens themselves.

When three "egos" govern, egoism, egotism, and egocentrism, the feeling of social links and responsibility disappear, and the society in question splinters into groups ever more hostile to each other. When a hysterical environment stops differentiating the opinions of limited, not-quite-normal people from those of normal, reasonable persons, this opens the door for activation of the pathological factors ...[Andrew Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology]

I am especially interested in the highlighted sentence, "hysterical conversion economy of reasoning" as I'm trying to figure out what those words mean exactly not what I think they might mean.

The way I understand them is the snippet says that the thinking becomes hystericized. But what throws me off is the use of the word "economy" and I'm wondering whether that refers to something similar as these definitions:

1. noun: an act of economizing; reduction in cost (Example: "It was a small economy to walk to work every day")

that is using less thought that is hysterical or

2. the system of production and distribution and consumption

whether it's referring to just using a new system of hysterical thought.

I hope my reasoning makes sense. I know this is a very specific question and it's the overall message that is important but any thoughts will be much appreciated.

 

[Approaching Infinity]

Hysterical conversion is a psychiatric term to describe how psychic stresses or conflicts are "converted" into bodily symptoms, like an organ neurosis, for example. In a higher form of psychoneurosis, these processes occur within the mind's internal environment, i.e. they are conscious. So in this case I think Lobaczewski is talking about the tendency in 'hystericized' times to bypass conscious reasoning and logic. In this way people constantly miss the crux of the matter, believe absurd lies, etc. Thinking is instead automatic, externally conditioned, and paralogical.

 

[rylek]

Thank you for that explanation. Obviously I've been way off. Had I know that it was a psychiatry term I would have used mr. google, which I've should have done anyway. But since I thought it was something specific to Lobaczewski that was the reason for asking on the forum. I'll try to search more in depth next time.