Freud would say our problem is repression. Byung-Chul Han says our problem is depression.
Over 150 years ago, people knew who they were in society: a body with a job.
Most of our work was labor, from which the body might suffer but could recover with a short break. Our stratified placement limited the mind, so ambition and possibility were limited, implying reduced cognitive anxiety and strain.
People were likely to repress ‘delusions and abnormal behaviors’ under authoritarian control. Still, they were not responsible for self-optimization, perpetual fear of not meeting your potential, or the imperative to fulfill and achieve impossible dreams.
Now that we are free of repression, we have burnout and depression.