The Cult of the Virgin Mary: Psychological Origins [Hardcover]

Michael P. Carroll (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0691094209 | ISBN-13: 978-0691094205 | Publication Date: June 1986

Tracing devotion to Mary to psychological and historical processes that began in the fifth century, Carroll answers questions about why Mary is both "Virgin" and "Mother" simultaneously, why Marian apparitions have been reported over the centuries, and more. 12 tables.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The contention is made that at the root of the Marian cult is the poverty-created father-ineffective family, a family structure in which Oedipal desires in both sons and daughters are intensified. . . . [A] fascinating and provocative read. -- Elizabeth A. Johnson, Journal of Church and State



[Recommended] not only for the wealth of information and the carefully wrought argument that it presents, but also for its potential utility in destroying or at least casting doubt on the idols that prevent us from seeing more clearly and more insightfully the bases of faith and theological conviction. -- W. W. Meissner, S.J., M.D., Theological Studies
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 253 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr (June 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691094209
• ISBN-13: 978-0691094205
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,976,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Psychology & Christianity

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixing Freud and Religion, December 3, 2000

By 

Michael Fitzgerald (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cult of the Virgin Mary (Paperback)

This book will be a hard read for the Catholic Marian faithful, and I wouldn't be surprised if it gets Mr. Carroll on quite a few lists of books to avoid. However, I would like to speak in his defense. First of all this is a book written by a social scientist for social science. It is full of terms that are well understood in the disciplines but that are negatively loaded (One might even say explosive) when read from the standpoint of Catholic Devotional literature. For instance Mr. Carroll describes St. Bernadette Soubirous' Marian aparition, as a halucination. Within the context of his analysis, this is an appropriate psychological term, as nobody else could see the aparition. However to the religious this term invalidates the experience, it makes it unreal.This was clearly not the intention of Mr. Carroll. His research is well documented and his theories well supported. His analysis and arguments are complete. They are thoroughly presented, almost to the point of redundancy. And the fact of the matter is that it works. When we are through with the book we have a deeper understanding of the forces that shape Catholic worship and Marian devotion. I like this book. I have passed it along to friends and family and it has stimulated hours of discussion, debate and even red-faced argument. This book should be read by serious Marian scholars.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great -- if you think Freud knew anything about Catholicism, May 10, 2008

By 

Alex Lint (Deep in the Heart of Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cult of the Virgin Mary (Paperback)

I picked this book up hoping for a comprehensive treatment of the Marian cult, but I was profoundly disappointed. Jung is treated in about two pages. The entire rest of the book is devoted to a Freudian analysis of the Marian phenomenon. No other point of view is acknowledged, much less explored.

If you think that an agnostic Jew living in Vienna a hundred years ago had anything worthwhile to say about Catholicism, by all means buy this book. I hope you enjoy the endless pages devoted to how Italian and Spanish men come from "father-ineffective families" and that this connects to their oedipal desires, which then manifest in a cult of the Virgin Mary.

One of the other reviewers raised an interesting point when she said that she and many other Catholics have their own reasons for venerating Mary. Apparently, to Carroll and his ilk, it would be slumming or something to actually go out and ask Catholics what they see in the Virgin. Many Catholics are in fact able to articulate why they venerate Mary. Even if you end up concluding that their stated reasons mask deeper psychological or sociological issues, wouldn't it be worthwhile to at least start by exploring what the worshippers themselves have to say about why they do what they do?

I bought this book hoping for an insight into the Marian phenomenon. It was a waste of money.

30 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth it, September 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cult of the Virgin Mary (Paperback)

This book attempts to analyze Catholic Marian devotion using Freudian psychology, and many of its strange conclusions arise from this approach. For instance, the author argues that Mary appeals to Catholic men because they have an "oedipal" need for a mother, while she appears to Catholic women because she fulfills their (alleged) "subconscious desire" to have a child by their fathers (since Catholics believe that Mary bore the Son of God the Father). While his conclusion about men may have some validity (we all need a spiritual Mother) his conclusion about women is absurd (Freud was never right about women anyway). I am a Catholic mother, and I have spoken to many Catholic mothers like myself, and the reason why we love Mary - besides the fact that she is our Mother in heaven - is because we can relate to her as a mother and feel that she knows what we are going through, since she too had a family. This guy just doesn't have a clue!

His analysis of Marian apparitions is similarly awful; the author simply ignores any historical details of the apparitions which do not fit his pat theories. The treatment of Guadalupe is perhaps the worst; he claims that the apparitions to Juan Diego are a myth, and that they were never recorded until long after the event! The fact is, there *are* contemporaneous documents which mention the apparition; a little research would have confirmed that. And Juan Diego *is* a historical personage; in fact he was recently beatified by the Catholic Church. The pope does not beatify mythological characters!

Don't even bother reading this book; there are much better treatments of the subject.