The Religious and Romantic Origins of Psychoanalysis : Individuation and Integration in Post-Freudian Theory

Suzanne R. Kirschner

ISBN 10: 0521555604 / ISBN 13: 9780521555609

Published by Cambridge University Press, 1996

About this Item

Druck auf Anfrage Neuware - Printed after ordering - In this book, Suzanne Kirschner traces the origins of contemporary psychoanalysis back to the foundations of Judaeo-Christian culture, and challenges the prevailing view that modern theories of the self mark a radical break with religious and cultural tradition. Instead, she argues, they offer an account of human development which has its beginnings in biblical theology and neoplatonic mysticism. Drawing on a wide range of religious, literary, philosophical and anthropological sources, Dr Kirschner demonstrates that current Anglo-American psychoanalytic theories are but the latest version of a narrative that has been progressively secularized over the course of nearly two millennia. She displays a deep understanding of psychoanalytic theories, while at the same time raising provocative questions about their status as knowledge and as science.

Seller Inventory # 9780521555609

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Religious and Romantic Origins of Psychoanalysis : Individuation and Integration in Post-Freudian Theory
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521555604
• ISBN 13: 9780521555609
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 229W x 152H x 15D millimeters 229 millimeters width by 152 millimeters height by 15 millimeters depth
• Weight: 418 grams

About this title

Synopsis

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.

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.