Father Land: A Study of Authoritarianism in the German Family

by Bertram Schaffner

Overview

"This valuable and penetrating little book deals with one of the baffling problems of our age, namely the relation between Nazi and German... The thesis of the book is that the traditional German character is derived from a rigid, authoritarian, static family system which adapted itself readily to the Nazi pattern and remained essentially unaltered when the Nazi layer was stripped away. The implication is that German and Nazi are more nearly identical than is realized by naïve exponents of 'denazification'... a well-written, sensible book suggestive as to methodology and rich in wisdom..." — The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

"An interesting study of paternal 'authoritarianism in the German family,' with implications for the political behavior of the Germans as a people." — Foreign Affairs

"Of the many postwar books now available on Germany and the various phases of its culture, ideologies, and social structure, this book stands out. The approach is scientifically oriented, combining psychiatry with sociology and anthropology." — American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

"This is a book by a social scientist, on a timely subject. It is a pity that more books of this kind are not prepared by the people who have the required insights and the necessary data, and rushed through the presses while there is still time to make use of their results. The author is a psychiatrist who knows how to make his special skill applicable to the wider problems of our day." — Political Science Quarterly

"[F]ascinating reading... Schaffner presents his views with admirable clarity." — The Public Opinion Quarterly

Product Details

BN ID:	2940186724476
Publisher:	Plunkett Lake Press
Publication date:	06/08/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, Bertram H. Schaffner (1912-2010) began his university studies at Harvard at age 15, transferred to the Honors Program at Swarthmore College, graduating in 1932 and completed his medical education at Johns Hopkins in 1937. Following a residency at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital and further training at Bellevue Hospital and the New York State Psychiatric Hospital, Schaffner served with the US Army, evaluating the mental fitness of draftees and then with the 10th Armored Division as a neuropsychiatrist (seeing active combat during the Battle of the Bulge). At war’s end, he served at the Nuremberg trials and then with the American Military Government on the denazification process, which lead to the publication of his book Father Land in 1948.

Back in New York City, Schaffner further trained at the William Alanson White Institute with which he remained associated for most of his career as a psychiatrist, teacher and adviser. He promoted mental health initiatives in the Caribbean, serving on the Expert Committee for Mental Health of the United Nations, advising the British, French and Dutch island governments in the West Indies on their mental health programs.

In his 60s Schaffner revealed that he was gay. In his psychiatric practice, he was a leader in the study of the problems of homosexual medical practitioners; he was one of the first doctors to treat AIDS patients, advocating for more humane treatment for them; from the 1980s on, he dedicated much of his professional efforts to helping AIDS patients and their health care providers. In 2001, the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy recognized him as a leader who has made a major impact on the treatment of homosexuals and the work of gay therapists.

Schaffner was a collector of Indian art, an interest spurred by his participation in a 1966 Brooklyn Museum trip to India, where he often returned. Schaffner was a major donor to the Brooklyn Museum and served on its Collections Committee.