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SIGMUND FREUD’S CHRISTIAN UNCONSCIOUS Paul C. Vitz, Ph.D. |
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“One of the most fascinating and original contributions to Freud scholarship that I have seen.” |
| — Robert R. Holt, Ph.D. |
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In major writings, Sigmund Freud attempted to show that man’s need for religion was a response to childhood neurosis. In SIGMUND FREUD’S CHRISTIAN UNCONSCIOUS, Paul C. Vitz turns the introspective eyes of psychoanalysis back onto its founder in order to explore the psychological motives for Freud’s rejection of religion. Well illustrated, this unique biography follows the psychoanalytic tradition of literary analysis, focusing on the influence on Freud of Christian literature, art, architecture, and culture. Dr. Vitz carefully reconstructs the Christian milieu in which young Freud grew up, showing how Christianity came to form part of the bedrock of Freud’s psyche and, therefore, of his theory of psychoanalysis. Making extensive use of Freud’s correspondence and writings, Vitz delves into Freud’s early childhood in Czechoslovakia (especially his relationship with his Catholic nanny), his rejection of his father, the university years, his extended visits to Rome, his attraction to the holidays of Easter, Pentecost, and more. This major work of Freudian revision raises many questions heretofore neglected by Freud biographers. Was Freud secretly baptized? Was he sexually seduced as a child? What was the real impact of Brentano’s influence? Did Freud make a Faustian pact with the Devil? These issues are traced through to the end of Freud’s life and related to his involvement with cocaine, his great interest in literature, the development of psychoanalysis, and, especially, his anxious denial of religion. The powerful case presented here for Freud’s involvement in Christianity will necessarily change the way Freud is viewed by both psychotherapists and Christians. In unveiling the master unveiler, Vitz shows the great psychoanalytic healer to be a tortured man struggling to overcome the conflicts of his complex cultural and personal religious situation. This fascinating history overturns many established beliefs about Freud and it will take place beside the works of Jones and Sulloway as a necessary volume for anyone attempting to understand one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century This book will be of value both to those interested in the history of psychoanalytic thought and to those who are intrigued by the conflict between psychology and religion. In exploring the life of the supposed “arch-atheist,” Vitz sheds much light on the interrelationship between two seemingly irreconcilable realms of thought, helping to bridge the gap between them. Cover design by Sergei Betekhtin Credit: Mary Evans Picture Library/Sigmund Freud Copyrights Gero cross, Cologne Cathedral |
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Critical Acclaim for SIGMUND FREUD’S CHRISTIAN UNCONSCIOUS “Professor Vitz’s SIGMUND FREUD’S CHRISTIAN UNCONSCIOUS is an interesting and important contribution to the study of Freud and his work.” |
| — Thomas S. Szasz, M.D. |
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“Vitz’s treatise on Freud’s Christian unconscious is a masterful and thoroughly researched work based on the innovative thesis that Freud struggled throughout his life with strong ambivalence about Christianity stemming from his early association with a devout nanny. The volume Is readable and convincing. I predict that it will take its place among the crucial works dealing with Freud’s projection of his own dynamics into this theory. It should be read by all serious students of psychoanalysis.” |
| — H. Newton Malony, Ph.D. |
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“It is exciting to see a new group of Freud scholars arrive on the scene. In particular, I found SIGMUND FREUD’S CHRISTIAN UNCONSCIOUS absolutely fascinating — and I read it with surprise and pleasure.” |
| — Paul Roazen, Ph.D. |
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THE GUILFORD PRESS 72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012 ISBN 0-89862-673-0 |