Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship [Paperback]

Paul C. Vitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1995

This is a virtually rewritten second edition of New York University Professor Paul Vitzs profoundly important analysis of modern psychology. Vitz maintains that psychology in our day has become a religion, a secular cult of self, and has become part of the problem of modern life rather than part of its resolution.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; 2 Sub edition (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802807259
• ISBN-13: 978-0802807250
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Religion or science?, January 5, 2006

By 

T McGee (Atlanta GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship (Paperback)

Reviewer Helms misses the point, it seems to me. Dr. Vitz correctly identifies psychology as social science as no science at all, but a belief system. (Vitz clearly distinguishes experimental and social psychology and exempts the scientific experimental type from his critique).
The Christian model of man as a creature fallen from his relationship with his creator into a pit of self offers a solution: reunion. The humanist's solution to man's unhappiness is a stronger self, or a self submitting itself with other selves to a greater self (the state, etc.). The Christian ideal, if followed, leads to peace. The humanist's leads to conflict ("will to power", one self or state vs another self or state).
For all the talk of the damage done in the name of religion, the mishief has come not from religion of man submitting him-self to his creator and its rules, but from the arrogance of self-righteousness. The isms of the 20th Century had nothing to do with religion involving God. 200 million people were killed in the struggle for humanist utopias. The religion of self and the ideologies it spawns (Dostoevsky: socialism is a Tower of Babel without God, e.g.) had its chance and failed miserably.
Science is simply a search for truth through observation and when done honestly is self-correcting. Religion is a faith-based search for truth. If psychology continues believing in the value of self- confidence, esteem, assurance, worth, help, realization, actualization, determination, sufficiency, etc., in spite of observable evidence of the anti-human results of their promotion, is it sclence or a belief system? Dr. Vitz's book does an excellent job showing us that distinction.

62 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Light is On. . ., September 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship (Paperback)

Have you ever looked around at American culture and wondered what went wrong. . .what is wrong? Paul Vitz gives us a goldmine of insight into the origin of modern angst. The 'selfism' described in this book will be recognizable, both in us and those around us. Truth seekers will find Vitz's exposure of the frauds of modern 'psychology' to be a milestone in their long search for answers to modern confusion. Then the real work begins. . . I recommend this book highly. You will not be disappointed.

112 of 139 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A brave new direction for both eduction and psychology., June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship (Paperback)

Secularism has evolved to become the "state religion" in North America largely due to the work of the five key figures: Carl Jung, Erich Fromm, Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, and Rollo May. Judeo-Christian leaders who accepted this teaching must now concentrate on the result and accept the responsibility to alter the wrong direction society has taken because of these teachings.

The separation of state and religion was a concept that was nullified by secularism as it has become interwoven into the fabric of North American society. Millions of tax dollars are used to perpetuate this state religion. For example, schools of education in colleges and universities nation-wide have trained teachers, counselors, school administrators and those who train them in the "cult" of secular humanism. Secular humanism is devotion to self-expression as an end in itself. It " emphasized the human capacity for change to the point of almost totally ignoring the idea that life has limits and that knowledge of those limits is the basis of wisdom. For selfist there seem to be no acceptable duties, denials, inhibitions, or restraints. Instead there are only rights and opportunities for change." (page 33) When a child is taught that he or she is the most important person in the world, in the guise of building self-esteem that child's response to authority is often since-I-am-the-most-important-person-in-the-world-why should-I-listen-to-you?!! With every news broadcast and every paper across both Canada and the U.S. we daily see the result of this wrong thinking/teaching.

There is much more to this book. I hope you will chose to read it for yourself. I also hope it will inspire other authors to explore, challenge and dethrone the state religion of secularism.