Epistemic envy in the keyboard warrior: A Bionian analysis

Polipo, Niccolo;Willemsen, Jochem
(2023) Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society — Vol. 28, p. 36-52 (2023)

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In this paper, we outline an object relations approach to the understanding of the factors underlying the behavior exhibited by a specific type of “uncivil” social media user, the keyboard warrior. Analyzing ten key features of the keyboard warrior’s behavior, we lay out the hypothesis that it is underlaid by an object relation of the type that Bion conceptualised as “minus K”: namely, an envious relation to the breast as the original provider not only of food but also of knowledge. We conclude by discussing the crisis of constructive dialogue that is ongoing at various levels in contemporary Western society and culture.
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Polipo, N., & Willemsen, J. (2023). Epistemic envy in the keyboard warrior: A Bionian analysis. Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society, 28, 36-52. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41282-022-00315-y (Original work published 2023)