The Religious And Romantic Origins Of Psychoanalysis [Paperback]

A cultural history of psychoanalysis, tracing it back to Judaeo-Christian and Greek sources.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.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.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.Introduction; 1. Toward a cultural genealogy of psychoanalytic developmental psychology; 2. The assenting ego: Anglo-American values in contemporary psychoanalytic developmental psychology; 3. The developmental narrative: the design of psychological history; 4. Theological sources of the idea of development; 5. The Christian mystical narrative: Neoplatonism and Christian mysticism; 6. Jacob Boehme: towards worldly mysticism; 7. Romantic thought: from worldly mysticism to natural supernaturalism; 8. Personal supernaturalism: the cultural genealogy of the psychoanalytic developmental narrative; Conclusion. ...Kirschner makes an important and original contribution to the literature on religion, modernity, and contemporary psychoanalysis. Religious Studies Review A truly illuminating worlc)