Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith: Psychobiography and the Book of Mormon [Paperback]

Robert D. Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1999

A troubled childhood. A difficult adolescence. How might these have affected the adult character of church founder Joseph Smith? Psychiatrist Robert D. Anderson explores the impact on young Joseph of his family's ten moves in sixteen years, their dire poverty, especially after his father's Chinese export venture failed, and his father's drinking. It is equally significant, writes Anderson, that Joseph's mother suffered bouts of depression. For instance, "for months" she "did not feel as though life was worth seeking" after two sisters died of tuberculosis and later when she buried two sons, Ephraim and Alvin. A typhoid epidemic nearly claimed her daughter Sophronia, and the same affliction left Joseph with a crippled leg, after which he was sent to live on the coast with an uncle. Such factors and others produced emotional wounds that emerged later in the prophet's life and writings, in particular, according to Anderson, in the Book of Mormon. Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith, writes W. W. Meissner (Professor of Psychoanalysis, Boston College; author, Ignatius of Loyola: The Psychology of a Saint): "is a superb study, approached with the dual advantage of an insider and an experienced psychiatrist. Anderson presents a convincing psychobiographic analysis of a great religious figure, unveiling for us a profound and perplexing question surrounding religious movements how such important figures can translate psychic disturbances into messages of conviction and inspiration. The story itself is powerful, and the questions it raises are thought provoking." Brigham D. Madsen (professor emeritus of history, former vice president, University of Utah; editor, Studies of the Book of Mormon by B. H. Roberts) agrees that "Anderson has an excellent grasp of early Mormon history and writes with dispassion and good balance, impressive scholarship, and readable prose. His naturalistic explanation provides a unique and penetrating analysis of factors which motivated and fashioned Joseph Smith's dictation of the Book of Mormon. We have been waiting a long time for this book."

Editorial Reviews

Review

In the revised edition of her pioneering Joseph Smith biography, No Man Knows My History (Alfred A. Knopf, 1970), Fawn M. Brodie suggested that Smith's personality matches psychoanalyst Phyllis Greenacre's "imposter" profile, but cautioned that a "comprehensive clinical portrait" would require a qualified psychologist with a "much more intimate knowledge of the man than is presently possible" (p. xi). Now Robert D. Anderson, M.D., "a Semi-retired psychiatrist," has come forward with just such a portrait, based upon almost three decades of historical and psychoanalytical research since Brodie first applied Greenacre to Smith. Anderson's argument is that Greenacre's "imposter" is a species of narcissism, and he offers both a fascinating reading of the Book of Mormon and new research into Smith's life and times to show that Smith fits a narcissistic profile. The result is about as close to Brodie's "comprehensive clinical portrait" as historical sources and psychological research are likely to get. --Gary Topping, Journal of the West

About the Author

Robert D. Anderson, M.D., is a semi-retired psychiatrist in private practice whose studies at the Psychoanalytic Institute stimulated his interest in applied psychoanalysis. He is a contributor to The Prophet Puzzle: Interpretive Essays on Joseph Smith and has published in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and in the American Journal of Psychiatry. He and his wife live in Bellevue, Washington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Signature Books; Reprint edition (August 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560851252
• ISBN-13: 978-1560851257
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,210,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Technical, Complete, Somewhat Extended Analysis, February 26, 2002

By 

Mark Lee (Woodruff, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith: Psychobiography and the Book of Mormon (Paperback)

I wish I could give it four and a half stars. Dr. Anderson takes a fine point to the early life of Joseph Smith. With impeccable care and documentation, he leads us through the childhood of a man who would exhibit a type of genius rarely seen in charismatic leaders. Anderson wisely limits himself to the effects of Joseph's experiences in the composition and contents of the Book of Mormon. By the time the "semi-retired psychiatrist" gets to the end of the book, he barely needs to justify or explain his diagnosis since he's already done so from a variety of angles previously. My only criticism is that occasionally Dr. Anderson extends his theories and suppositions quite far, but he usually does so with qualifications.

Not for the initiate into the arcane world of LDS theology and history. Try "Mormon America" first. But for a guy like me who spent 40 years (two as a missionary) in "the Church," it's a haunting trip into the mind of a very famous, unique American religious leader.

87 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who says there's nothing new under the sun?, December 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith: Psychobiography and the Book of Mormon (Paperback)

The value of the insights in this book cannot be overstated. The author makes an extremely convincing case that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, and in the process inadvertently let items from his [Smith's] own life color the narrative, providing a sort of "free association" setting during the dictation. Although the author uses these "colorings" to form a psychoanalytical profile for the Mormon prophet, the listing of parallels alone are well worth the price of the book.

The author's intent is to provide a tentative diagnosis, and he fully explains the inherent weaknesses in such an approach. Although there may be alternative diagnoses for Smith, the evidences themselves outlined by the author that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon are *not* so weak and will be much more difficult for the apologists to refute.

Much material about Mormonism, pro- and con-, has been hashed and rehashed. This book does not contain any of that. This book offers a refreshing and unique dimension to the pro- vs. con- dialogue. Often I caught myself saying, "Why didn't I think of that?"

I heartily recommend this book.

58 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the two academic reviewers on the back of the book:, August 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith: Psychobiography and the Book of Mormon (Paperback)

A superb and fascinating study, approached with the dual advantage of an insider and an experienced psychiatrist. Anderson has mastered the impressive literature and presents a convincing psychobiographic study of one of the great religious figures of the American scene. He unveils for us one of the most profound and perplexing questions in the understanding of religious movements--how important figures can translate psychic disturbances into messages of conviction and inspiration. The story itself is powerful, and the questions it raises are thought provoking.--W.W. Meissner, S.J., M.D., Professor of Psychoanalysis, Boston College; author, Ignatius of Loyola: The Psychology of a Saint and of Psychoanalysis and the Religious Experience.

Anderson has an excellent grasp of early Mormon history and writes with dispassion and good balance, impressive scholarship, and readable prose. His naturalistic explanation provides a unique and penetrating analysis of the factors which motivated and fashioned Joseph Smith's dictation of the Book of Mormon. We have been waiting a long time for this book.--Brigham D. Madsen, Professor Emeritus of History and former Vice President, University of Utah; editor, Studies of the Book of Mormon.