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Document Details : Title: Verder dan Freud? Subtitle: Na een eeuw psychoanalytische godsdienstkritiek Author(s): VAN BELZEN, J.A. Journal: Tijdschrift voor Theologie Volume: 48 Issue: 1 Date: 2008 Pages: 66-90 DOI: 10.2143/TVT.48.1.3203488 Abstract : This article examines whether and to what degree there has been progress in the psychoanalytical psychology of religion since Sigmund Freud inaugurated it in 1907. Psychoanalysis is reputed to have contributed to the negative criticism of religion, yet as psychologist of religion Freud seems more subtle than the viewpoints attributed to him. Among other things, the article treats the notion, also discussed in the Netherlands, that religion would be projection, a notion that appears not to be of psychoanalytical origin. In addition to a more accurate understanding of the scope of a psychological perspective, the twentieth century also witnessed refinements and restrictions to what Freud posited about religion. However, today, some of these restrictions appear not to have been completely correct. Psychoanalysts with a more positive personal stance toward religion than that of Freud argued that psychoanalysis should restrict itself to the analysis of how the individual psyche operates rather than addressing matters on the plane of culture and society. Yet today, in a totally different corner of psychology, once again attempts are being made to use psychological insights to make macro-level statements about religion rather than restricting them to religiosity. These attempts are moving in the same direction that Freud followed: they may apply more recent theories, but do not surpass Freud methodologically. Whether certain developments in psychoanalysis (and hence within psychoanalytic psychology of religion) are considered to be progress seems to depend more on a priori views about the object of research rather than on any findings these developments are able to present. |
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