Changing the Scientific Study of Religion: Beyond Freud?
Changing the Scientific Study of Religion: Beyond Freud?

Author: Jacob A. v. van Belzen

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2009-06-18

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 9048125405

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The psychoanalytic approach to religion has changed radically during the course of the twentieth century. In both clinical and theoretical work in psychoanalysis, developments have taken place that frequently are not noted by persons who assume that all that can be said has been said by Freud. The study of religious phenomena, persons, events and traditions has always been a substantial part of applied psychoanalysis and here also major developments have taken place. It is no exaggeration to state that the scientific study of religion has been revolutionized by the integration of psychological perspectives, including the field of psychoanalysis. This volume differs from other recent publications on the topic of psychoanalysis and religion in drawing upon the entire field of psychoanalytic involvement with religion. It is interdisciplinary in approach and unlike other books on the topic brings together an exceptional combination of theoretical, empirical and clinical studies. No other book provides integrated examples of all three types of work.

Religion and Psychology in Transition
Religion and Psychology in Transition

Author: James W. Jones

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2008-10-01

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 0300129386

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In this thought-provoking book, clinical psychologist and professor of religious studies James W. Jones presents a dialogue between contemporary psychoanalytic thinking and contemporary theology. He sheds new light on the interaction of religion and psychology by viewing it from the perspective of world religions, providing an epistemological framework for the psychology of religion that draws on contemporary philosophy of science, and bringing out the importance of gender as a category of analysis. Developments in psychoanalysis provide new resources for theological reflection, Jones contends. The Freudian view that human nature is isolated and instinctual has shifted to a vision of the self as constituted in and through relationships. Jones uses this relational model of human nature to explore the convergence between contemporary psychoanalysis, feminist theorizing, and themes in religious thought found in a variety of traditions. He also critiques the reductionism inherent in Freud's discussion of religion and proposes nonreductionistic and genuinely psychoanalytic ways for psychoanalysis to treat religious topics. For therapists, psychologists, theologians, and others interested in spiritual or psychological issues, Jones offers illuminating clinical material and insightful analysis.

Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Religion
Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Religion

Author: James William Jones

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 1991-01-01

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 9780300057843

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Presents the latest psychoanalytic "theories" and their relevance for religious studies. The author, a clinical psychologist and professor of religion, builds on more recent theories in which the self is constued as a matrix of interalized relationships, investigates ways in which religious beliefs, practices, and experiences reflect the structure of the relational self.

Early Psychoanalytic Religious Writings
Early Psychoanalytic Religious Writings

Author: H. Newton Malony

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2021-03-22

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 9004429220

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Early Psychoanalytic Religious Writings presents, in one edited volume, many of the foundational writings in the psychoanalytic study of religion. These translated works by Abraham, Fromm, Pfister, and others, complement Freud’s seminal contributions and provide a unique window into the origins of psychoanalytic thinking.

Terror and Transformation
Terror and Transformation

Author: James W. Jones

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-02-04

Total Pages: 143

ISBN-13: 1317763041

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Religion has been responsible for both horrific acts against humanity and some of humanity's most sublime teachings and experiences. How is this possible? From a contemporary psychoanalytic perspective, this book seeks to answer that question in terms of the psychological dynamic of idealisation. At the heart of living religion is the idealisation of everyday objects. Such idealisations provide much of the transforming power of religious experience, which is one of the positive contributions of religion to the psychological life. However, idealisation can also lead to religious fanaticism which can be very destructive. Drawing on the work of various contemporary relational theorists within psychoanalysis, this book develops a psychoanalytically informed theory of the transforming and terror-producing effects of religious experience. It discusses the question of whether or not, if idealisation is the cause of many of the destructive acts done in the name of religion, there can be vital religion without idealisation. This is the first book to address the nature of religion and its capacity to sponsor both terrorism and transformation in terms of contemporary relational psychoanalytic theory. It will be invaluable to students and practitioners of psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, psychology and religious studies, and to others interested in the role of religion in the lives of individuals and societies.

Freud and Religion
Freud and Religion

Author: William B. Parsons

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-05-27

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 1108429262

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Offers a revised psychoanalytic theory of religion by sifting through the history of psychoanalytic models in dialogue with their multidisciplinary critiques.

Freud on Religion
Freud on Religion

Author: Marsha Aileen Hewitt

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-09-11

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 1317545915

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Freud argued that religions originate in the unconscious needs, longings and fantasies of human minds. His work has served to highlight how any analysis of religion must explore mental life, both the cognitive and the unconscious. 'Freud on Religion' examines Freud's complex understanding of religious belief and practice. The book brings together contemporary psychoanalytic theory and case material from Freud's clinical practice to illustrate how the operations of the unconscious mind support various forms of religious belief, from mainstream to occult. 'Freud on Religion' offers a new way of understanding Freud's thinking and demonstrates how valuable psychoanalysis is for the study of religion.

God, Freud and Religion
God, Freud and Religion

Author: Dianna T. Kenny

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-03-05

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 1317649656

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Choice Essential Read Did God create man or did man create God? In this book, Dianna Kenny examines religious belief through a variety of perspectives – psychoanalytic, cognitive, neuropsychological, sociological, historical and psychiatric – to provide a coherent account of why people might believe in God. She argues that psychoanalytic theory provides a fertile and creative approach to the study of religion that attempts to integrate religious belief with our innate human nature and developmental histories that have unfolded in the context of our socialization and cultural experiences. Freud argued that religion is so compelling because it solves the problems of our existence. It explains the origin of the universe, offers solace and protection from evil, and provides a blueprint about how we should live our lives, with just rewards for the righteous and due punishments for sinners and transgressors. Science, on the other hand, offers no such explanations about the universe or the meaning of our lives and no comfort for the unanswered longings of the human race. Is religion a form of wish-fulfilment, a collective delusion to which we cling as we try to fathom our place and purpose in the drama of cosmology? Can there be morality without faith? Are science and religion radically incompatible? What are the roots of fundamentalism and terror theology? These are some of the questions addressed in God, Freud and Religion, a book that will be of interest to psychoanalysts, psychologists and psychotherapists, students of psychology, psychoanalysis, philosophy and theology and all those with an interest in religion and human behaviour. Dianna Kenny is Professor of Psychology at the University of Sydney, Australia. She is the author of over 200 publications, including six books.

Taking Psychoanalytic and Psychometric Perspectives toward a Binocular Vision of Religion
Taking Psychoanalytic and Psychometric Perspectives toward a Binocular Vision of Religion

Author: Barbara Keller

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2020-06-02

Total Pages: 91

ISBN-13: 9004436340

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Psychoanalytic and Psychometric Perspectives on Religion suggests to combine perspectives from psychoanalysis and academic psychology, from nomothetic and idiothetic research, for more depth of vision for the current psychology of religion. In this interdisciplinary study, Barbara Keller demonstrates the potential of integrative perspectives by analysing topics such as religious development, religion and personality, and the process of working with religious issues in psychotherapy. Options for the study of lived “religion” are discussed, taking into consideration North American and European contexts of religious experience and of psychological and psychoanalytic discussion.