Words and Phrases Derived from Greek Mythology Codexery

Cassandra paradox

A valid warning that is disbelieved by others.

The Cassandra paradox describes a situation where accurate warnings are disbelieved or ignored.[1][2] It has been applied in psychology, environmentalism, politics, and corporate contexts since at least 1914.[1][3][2]

Quick Facts

Earliest recorded use
1914
Coiner of 'cassandra complex'
Gaston Bachelard
Year 'cassandra complex' coined
1949
Mythological figure
  • Cassandra
  • daughter of Priam
  • King of Troy
Gift giver
Apollo

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 Cassandra "predicts ill to come and warns that punishment will follow and grief arise"[4] Jungian analyst Laurie Layton Schapira explored the "Cassandra complex" in a 1988 study of two analysands.[5][6]

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"[7] In business settings, individuals who advocate for a new direction are labeled "Cassandras"—they can foresee outcomes but are not trusted.[8]

What the cited sources add

Schapira views the Cassandra complex as resulting from a dysfunctional relationship with the "Apollo archetype", which is dedicated to order, reason, intellect, truth, and clarity.[9] She states a "Cassandra woman" is prone to hysteria and "feels attacked not only from the outside world but also from within, especially from the body"[9] Bolen suggests a Cassandra woman may become increasingly hysterical and irrational in a dysfunctional relationship with a negative Apollo.[10]

References

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. Open Library record, ISBN 091912335X ("The Cassandra complex"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
  7. 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
  8. 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); The Bear Book: Survive and Profit in Ferocious Markets, p. 81 (2000); Only The Paranoid Survive (1999); Grove, "Academy of Management, Annual Meeting", Intel Keynote Transcript, August 9, 1998 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Cassandra (metaphor)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Laurie Layton Schapira, The Cassandra Complex: Living With Disbelief: A Modern Perspective on Hysteria p.10 (1988); Schapira, "The Cassandra Complex: Living with Disbelief: A Modern Perspective on Hysteria", Inner City Books, 1988; Laurie Layton Schapira, The Cassandra Complex: Living With Disbelief: A Modern Perspective on Hysteria p.65 (1988) (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. 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. 130–160 (1989) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

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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