Hoffer, << HOF fur, >> Eric (1902-1983), was a former longshoreman who became widely known as a political and social philosopher. His first book, The True Believer (1951), developed from his interest in the psychological makeup of the politically, socially, and economically disfranchised. In the book, Hoffer considered the nature and appeal of mass movements and offered psychological observations on the nature of the people who join them. He believed that the zeal that characterizes these people is bred by frustration. Their fanaticism increases when the frustration increases.
Hoffer was born on July 25, 1902, in New York City. He had little formal education. He was a migratory worker in California from 1920 to 1943, then became a longshoreman. Hoffer’s other works include The Ordeal of Change (1963) and The Temper of Our Time (1967). He died on May 21, 1983.
