Privatized Socialism: A Transitional Format for Post-Socialist Countries

It has become evident that many former EastGermans have a strong anxiety regarding a shift to a free market system. The nature of the anxiety has been analyzed in various ways and at various levels. At a superficial level, the anxiety is considered to stem from the disorientation in an unfamiliar system. At a second level, the anxiety is attributed to loss of the previous ego identity: the individual had attained some expertise and recognition in the socialist system, and now he loses them because they are no longer valid, and he does not know how to achieve expertise and recognition in a new way. At a third level, the anxiety involves collapse of psychological dependency, similar to what is experienced by a small child whose mother had just died. The socialism provided a psychological protection, in fact an overprotection, for the individual. The system guaranteed housing, medical care, income and other basic necessities. Moreover, the job itself required no special effort. People could just live automatically. In a way, the situation was quite similar to that of a small child. Now suddenly the mother died. The child does not know how to take care of himself/herself. He/she wants to find another mother. This is why many of the former East-Germans prefer another type of socialism to a free market system. A child cannot suddenly become an adult. A transitional process must be devised. One possibility is privatized socialism, in which a private firm acts as a new mother. Fortunately and perhaps ironically, there is a model which is working.