Pink Madness: Why Does Aphrodite Drive Us Crazy With Pornography?

by James Hillman

Do we live in a pornographic culture? Is our obsessive shopping the result of a soft porn hard sell in advertising? The answers are on this tape -- recorded live.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

Audio Cassette

First published June 1, 1998

About the author

James Hillman (1926-2011) was an American psychologist. He served in the US Navy Hospital Corps from 1944 to 1946, after which he attended the Sorbonne in Paris, studying English Literature, and Trinity College, Dublin, graduating with a degree in mental and moral science in 1950.

In 1959, he received his PhD from the University of Zurich, as well as his analyst's diploma from the C.G. Jung Institute and founded a movement toward archetypal psychology, was then appointed as Director of Studies at the institute, a position he held until 1969.

In 1970, Hillman became editor of Spring Publications, a publishing company devoted to advancing Archetypal Psychology as well as publishing books on mythology, philosophy and art. His magnum opus, Re-visioning Psychology, was written in 1975 and nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Hillman then helped co-found the Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture in 1978.

Retired into private practice, writing and traveling to lecture, until his death at his home in Connecticut on October 27, 2011 from bone cancer.

Reviews

[Bon Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice little package of mental gymnastic, like archetypal psychology usually is, but there's one thing I wholeheartedly agree with. Consumerism is modern porn, no doubt about it. Now that I think of it, so many things are, that you'd never think of as such. Let's leave it at that, but you know which things I have in mind, right? If you don't, your feelings might get hurt if I don't shut up right now.

[Maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hillman is too buried in an unconscious/divine archetype perspective to translate anything into something valuable or socially relevant. Some nice points from a Hellenic background and good debate on the merits of soft vs hardcore

[Jesse Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently came across this hour-long lecture, recorded in 1993. Hillman has a very interesting manner, reminiscent of Joseph Campbell, though we have hints of a difference right away..."pink madness" is the denunciation of Aphrodite and her sons Eros and Priapus, the forces of beauty, love, and the lusty concupiscence of Arcadia, by the domesticizing force of Hera, who would confine sex to its family function. Hera is great, apparently, for building the family up, but why not leave a little room for some soft core fun? Censorship is no fun, but then again hardcore pornography gets boring fast.