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Religion in PsychodynamicPerspective: The Contributionsof Paul W. Pruyser (Book)Jesse R. ArosPublished online: 16 Nov 2009.

To cite this article: Jesse R. Aros (1993) Religion in Psychodynamic Perspective: TheContributions of Paul W. Pruyser (Book), The International Journal for the Psychologyof Religion, 3:1, 67-70, DOI: 10.1207/s15327582ijpr0301_8

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THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR THE PSYCHOMGY OF RELIGION, 3(1), 67-70 Copyright O 1993, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

REVIEW

Religion in Psychodynamic Perspective: The Contributions of Paul W. Pruyser. H. Newton Malony and Bernard Spilka (Eds.), New York: Oxford University Press, 1991, 233 pages, $29.95 (cloth).

Reviewed by Jesse R. Aros University of North Dakota

Malony and Spilka make no pretentions in asserting that the plan of their book is to "offer a small, but representative collection of Paul Pruyser's major work" in an effort "to demonstrate the range and depth (and osten- sibly the value) of Pruyser's thinking" (pp. 13-14). Implicitly, there is some- thing that seemingly requires examination (as well as vindication?) according to the editors. Is it that Pruyser's work has not been as fully ap- preciated nor utilized as its merit dictates? A case in point is that Pruyser's work A Dynamic Psychology of Religion (1968) is out of print, whereas James's The Varieties of Religious Experience is not (p. 205). What is the is- sue at hand? Specifically, a reexamination of Pruyser's insight and of the depth and breadth of his writings is in order, especially as Pruyser is lik- ened to James and Walter H. Clark (p. 206). Fortunately, to assist us in this process, the editors have not only compiled a representative sampling of Pruyser's essays but also offered a taxonomy that organizes the wide scope of essay topics into more manageable units. These are

1) contemporary religion and religious beliefs, 2) some of the functions of religion relative to praxis and theology, 3) what method 'means' in the study of religion, 4) . . . the (psychodynamic) origins of religion, and 5) . . . the fu- ture of the psychology of religion. (p. 14)

Contemporary Religion and Religious Beliefs

Pruyser's first four articles fall under this rubric. The first, "A Psychologi- cal Review of the 1970s," is not as anachronistic as its title suggests. Rather, it is more concerned "with man's religious quest of the future" (p. 77). Ap- parently, Pruyser, "drawing upon Freud and a number of theologians" at- tempts to explain certain human tendencies that affirm a continued, if not

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expanded, role for religion in the future Op. 14). Although the message of Pruyser's second article is labeled "harsh," it is here that he clarifies how individual and cultural irrationality is a major force in the maintenance and growth of popular or "current" religion. The result is a consoling faith that indulges rather than challenges, looks inward rather than outward, and largely perceives only in the first person (p. 14). This theme of irrationality leads into Pruyser's third essay, appropriately entitled "The Seamy Side of Religion," in which institutionalized religion is again taken to task for its role (intentional and/or unintentional) in stymying human development and potential by alternately coddling or controlling its adherents, as op- posed to challenging and stimulating them. From this, Pruyser is able to shift into what makes religion "healthy" as opposed to "neuroticy' from a realistic perspective. "Narcissism in Contemporary Religion" takes on fur- ther institutional sanctions for self-love motifs, as well as aspects of religion that often foster self-aggrandizement, or separation at the expense of or from society.

Some Functions of Religion Relative to Praxis and Theology

Praxis is dealt with directly in chapter 5, "Religion in the Psychiatric Hos- pital: A Reassessment." Specifically, Pruyser recounts the still prevalent tendency of clinical personnel to overlook the religious aspect of the person and demonstrates the impropriety of not taking account of this aspect, given the value that such data hold in both diagnosis and treatment. Pruy- ser discusses the role and purpose of the multidisciplinary team from this standpoint. The sixth essay, "Anxiety and Guilt in the Atonement," is the "theological" part of the equation, with an in-depth analysis of what Pruy- ser calls "the ransom, satisfaction, and moral influence theories of the atonement," each integrated with the roles and functions of ego, superego, and id, respectively. Following his handling of these concepts, Pruyser pro- ceeds (appropriately) with scholarly modesty and responsibly provides al- ternative hypotheses and possible flaws with or regarding his analysis. Pruyser's ending call to a phenomenological approach to better understand the interplay between psychology and theology is intriguing, but it is not adequately elaborated or sufficiently defined. The next chapter, "Some of the Functions of Religion Relative to Praxis and Theology" is an interesting mix of praxis and theory, relevant to how theology and religion impact the patient in treatment. The last essay of this section is entitled "Assessment of a Patient's Religious Attitudes in the Psychiatric Case Study." Here, Pruyser examines the topics of transference and countertransference as they impact the processes and the reasons behind a reluctance to address the topic of religion. Likewise, religion is treated as both a means of normal and abnormal individual expression, as well as a healthy or neurotic coping

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device. Most of all, the depth and scope with which religious psychopathol- ogy is delineated in this section is impressive.

Method in the Study of Religion

The considerable promise of the free association method as a method is elaborated on in this section. Unlike Pruyser and his editors, I do not find added value in Pruyser's personal examples or handling of the free associa- tion technique (p. 16). What is more noteworthy is how Pruyser juxtaposes religiously laden meanings from a variety of viewpoints and demonstrates how Pruyser's methods can be conceptually operationalized holistically, dy- namically, adaptively, and developmentally. In this chapter, and elsewhere, Pruyser's use of the term method is not synonymous with "procedure," but rather relates to method as theory in practice.

Psychodynamic Origins of Religion

This section on taxonomy comprises two chapters: "Psychological Roots and Branches of Belief" and "Forms and Functions of the Imagination in Religion." The first not only posits the psychoanalytic view of belief, but pays particular attention and weight to the philosophical treatment of the same, namely, Hume, Kant, and others who Malony and Spilka collectively label "the phenomenologists" (p. 16). The focus here is on the functionality of religion and the link between personal identity formation and the reli- gious beliefs that accompany it. Here, Pruyser initiates his interpretation of how illusionistic thinking affects the development of beliefs and belief sys- tems, and also describes how illusionistic thought mediates among the in- ternal autistic world and the corresponding external or real world. Pruyser's second essay in this section further explores the place of this illusionistic world within the standard two (autistic and real) worlds of traditional psy- choanalytical thought. Hence, Pruyser's assertion of three, rather than two worlds (p. 174). Again, I was disappointed with Pruyser's personal exam- ples of illusionistic thought, such as his free associations in print and the autobiographical allusions. Conversely, I was enlightened with his superb treatment of how "impersonal" theory explains the phenomenon (p. 17).

The Future of the Psychology of Religion

Two main themes appear to dominate this chapter. The first is that the psy- chology of religion should expand in scope: Not only should we practition- ers study religious behaviors, we should also expand such studies by linking to our research the varying theories and models from different schools of thought within psychology. Pruyser's examples include thanatology and the psychology of religion, and social cognition and the psychology of religion,

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thereby naming a few of the psychologies of religion that Pruyser proposes (p. 17). The second theme is largely a call to implement theological models that explain the nature and components of religion more completely and less reductively than those currently in use. This chapter is the most thought provoking, despite a recurrent vagueness. Nonetheless, Pruyser comes across because the ideas are good.

Religion in Psychodynamic Perspective: The Contributions of Paul FK Pruyser does what its editors intended, to encourage us to pick up where Pruyser left off and thus resurrect our acknowledgment of the relevance of Pruyser's work to our own, theoretical orientations and job titles notwithstanding.

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