The Century of the Self is a documentary by Adam Curtis, made for the BBC in 2002, with four episodes of one hour each. It retraces the influence of psychoanalysis throughout the 20th century, starting with state propaganda (the creation of “public relations”, which is now the dominant communications strategy). It also addresses the personal pursuit of happiness and how individualism has been exacerbated for commercial profit and to consensually enslave the masses (with the invention of the “consumer”).
