The Religious and Romantic Origins of Psychoanalysis: Individuation and Integration in Post-Freudian Theory (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies) [Paperback]

Suzanne R. Kirschner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521555604 | ISBN-13: 978-0521555609 | Publication Date: February 23, 1996 | Edition: 1

This book considers the cultural and religious sources of contemporary psychoanalytic theories of the development of the self, and demonstrates that they are distinctively Western cultural constructions that tell a story in terms of a narrative pattern derived from biblical and Neoplatonic sources. Thus, religious themes and values still influence how modern psychologists make sense of the human condition, and Dr. Kirschner raises provocative questions about the status of psychoanalytic theories as knowledge and as science.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Kirschner makes an important and original contribution to the literature on religion, modernity, and contemporary psychoanalysis." Religious Studies Review

"A truly illuminating work. Through careful and sophisticated historical analysis, Kirschner entirely recasts our understanding of contemporary developmental theory, revealing the suppressed and very significant subtext." Kenneth J. Gergen, Swarthmore College

"A fascinating and ground-breaking book. Kirschner makes clear how the developmental narrative of psychoanalysis owes as much to our biblical and Romantic traditions as to observations from consulting room and nursery. She also makes us wonder about the stand alone truth of these observations and the extent to which they have been unwittingly infiltrated by Western cultural values. Could it be that its many links to the Zeitgeist help to explain the enduring popularity of psychoanalysis?" Donald P. Spence, Professor of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Jersey

"In the tradition of Philip Rieff's Triumph of the Therapeutic, Kirschner shows how current trends in psychoanalysis are rooted in the wider cultural context. But where Rieff emphasized the discontinuities between traditional and modern views of the therapeutic, Kirschner brings to light the deep continuities in our interpretation of life's aims. This remarkable book will be of value not just to professionals in the field, but to anyone who cares about the quest for the good life in our world." Charles Guignon, Professor of Philosophy, University of Vermont

"Kirschner brilliantly traces the origins of the psychoanalytic story of development to its Biblical origins." R. Shilkret, Choice

"Kirschner's presentation reflects broad scholarship in history, literature, psychology and religion....Kirschner makes contemporary psychoanalytic theory accessible in a new and powerful way--for its practitioners, as well as for those who stand outside the discipline." E. James Lieberman, Bulletin of the History of Medicine

Book Description

Demonstrating that they are Western constructions, this study considers the cultural and religious sources of contemporary psychoanalytic theories of the development of the self. Thus, it raises provocative questions about the status of psychoanalytic theories as knowledge and as science.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (February 23, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521555604
• ISBN-13: 978-0521555609
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Religion & Secular Thought, February 18, 2001

By 

Leland M. Searles "prairiefire" (Des Moines, IA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Religious and Romantic Origins of Psychoanalysis: Individuation and Integration in Post-Freudian Theory (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies) (Paperback)

Suzanne Kirschner's Religious and Romantic Roots of Psychoanalysis is another installment in the cultural history of psychoanalysis, and it is well worth reading for anyone interested in this topic. Her argument is that the social/historical setting of Sigmund Freud and his followers--in Germany and elsewhere--shaped ideas about child maturation and adult personality. While one might expect that the Jewish background of Freud and many early analysts was a powerful influence (and this is surely the case), Kirschner wants to point out how neo-Platonism, Protestant Christianity, and other European ideologies outside Judaism shaped analytic theories of sexual development, early childhood relations with caregivers, and individuality. Well written by an astute anthropologist, the book never descends to the level of psychobabble, but remains an informative and evocative intellectual history. Unlike post-Foucault studies that presume major paradigm shifts and incommensurabilities between historical ages, Kirscher's sense is that there are both transformations and continuities in the thread from later Greek thought through Protestantism and finally to psychoanalysis. There remain other elements of this story to be worked out, but Kirschner has contributed an important piece.

5.0 out of 5 stars Religious and Romantic Origins of Psychoanalysis, May 3, 2008

By 

Garth Amundson (Oak Park, IL, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Religious and Romantic Origins of Psychoanalysis: Individuation and Integration in Post-Freudian Theory (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies) (Paperback)

Suzanne Kirschner's book is a balanced and scholarly investigation of the Protestant cultural background of current psychoanalytic theories. Her argument that current object-relations theories are secularized, "interiorized" interpreations of earlier mystical Protestant narratives about the soul's alientation from -- and return to - its divine source, is presented thoughtfully and convincingly. This book is an invaluable source for anyone concerned with the social and historical context of psychoanalysis.