The Social Character of Bureaucracy: Anxiety and Ritualistic Defense

Abstract

In analyzing the social character of bureaucracy, one must examine the psychodynamics of obsessional neurosis in the individual and ritualistic practices in the bureaucracy. Much of organization theory either implicitly or explicitly characterizes bureaucratic behavior as ritualistic. [See, for example, Weber (1947); Hummel (1977, 1982); Merton (1940, 1963); Crozier (1964); Argyris and Schon (1974, 1978); and Zaleznik and Kets de Vries (1975).] A more complete appreciation of the role of ritualistic behavior in bureaucracy recognizes its origins in the human personality. “The culture of the system reflects:…the types of people the organization attracts” (Burke, 1982, p. 76). These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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