The mental evolution, societal conditions, and the book give contemporary relevance to the term "fatherless society," primarily coined by Alexander Mitscherlich. From the perspective of this fundamental concept of psychoanalytic social psychology, the author addresses recent upheavals in modern society: xenophobia, anti-Semitism, the sociocultural need for scapegoats, and youth right-wing extremism. Using literary examples and guided by the father-son relationship, the issues surrounding the transgenerational legacy of National Socialism are discussed. About the author: Robert Heim, Prof. Dr. phil., psychoanalyst in private practice since 1982 in Zurich, has been working in Frankfurt since 1993. He teaches as an adjunct professor of psychoanalysis and social psychology at the University of Hanover. He has numerous publications on the theory and practice of psychoanalysis.