Cassandra Disease
A person whose valid warnings are disbelieved by others.
via Wikipedia: Cassandra (metaphor) · see source
It has been applied in psychology, environmentalism, politics, and corporate settings since at least 1914.[1][2][3]
Quick Facts
- Coiner of 'cassandra complex'
- Gaston Bachelard
- Year 'cassandra complex' coined
- 1949
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Charles Oman used the metaphor in his 1914 book A History of the Peninsular War, Volume 5.[1] French philosopher Gaston Bachelard coined the term "Cassandra Complex" in 1949.[1] Klein stated that Cassandra's predictions evoke denial as a defense against persecutory anxiety and guilt.[4] Jungian analyst Laurie Layton Schapira explored the "Cassandra complex" in a 1988 study of two analysands.[5]
Schapira delineated three factors: dysfunctional relationships with the "Apollo archetype", emotional or physical suffering, and being disbelieved.[5] In 1989, Jean Shinoda Bolen published an essay detailing the psychological profile of the "Cassandra woman".[6] Bolen asserted that the archetypes associated with Cassandra and Apollo apply to both men and women.[7] In his 1999 book, Alan Atkisson noted that environmentalists called "Cassandras" face disbelief or ridicule for their warnings.[3]
What the cited sources add
Grove stated that unless management deals with fear, they will never hear from those Cassandras.[8] Taylor Swift recorded a song called "Cassandra" for her 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department.[9] Swift uses the metaphor to state that no one believed her when she was telling the truth.[9] The 1998 album Aégis by Theatre of Tragedy includes a track titled "Cassandra".[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Cassandra (metaphor)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Bachelard, Gaston, Le Rationalisme appliqué PUF, Paris, (1949). (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cassandra (metaphor)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Davies, P., "The Cassandra Complex: how to avoid generating a corporate vision that no one buys into" pp. 103–123 in Success in Sight: Visioning (1998) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cassandra (metaphor)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: AtKisson, A., Believing Cassandra: An Optimist Looks at a Pessimist's World, Earthscan (1999); AtKisson, A., Believing Cassandra: An Optimist Looks at a Pessimist's World, Earthscan (1999) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cassandra (metaphor)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Klein, M., Envy and Gratitude- And Other Works 1946–1963, p. 293 (1975); Klein, M., Envy and Gratitude – And Other Works 1946–1963, p. 295 (1975); Klein, M., Envy and Gratitude- And Other Works 1946–1963, p. 293 (1975) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cassandra (metaphor)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schapira, "The Cassandra Complex: Living with Disbelief: A Modern Perspective on Hysteria", Inner City Books, 1988 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cassandra (metaphor)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jean Shinoda Bolen, Gods in Everyman: A New Psychology of Men's Lives and Loves (1989); Jean Shinoda Bolen, Gods in Everyman: A New Psychology of Men’s Lives and Loves pp. 130–160 (1989) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Cassandra (metaphor)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jean Shinoda Bolen, Gods in Everyman: A New Psychology of Men's Lives and Loves pp. x–xi (1989) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Grove, "Academy of Management, Annual Meeting", Intel Keynote Transcript, August 9, 1998. facts only, no text reused. intel.com
- Wikipedia, "Cassandra (metaphor)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Aégis", Official Theatre of Tragedy website (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Aégis", Official Theatre of Tragedy website. facts only, no text reused. theatreoftragedy.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Cassandra (metaphor) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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