Overview

Ana Maria Rizzuto's groundbreaking explorations of the formation of God representations in early childhood and their elaboration throughout the life cycle have made their mark, enriching the practice of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy as well as scholarship within the psychoanalytic study of religion. Assessing Rizzuto's legacy on the thirty-fifth anniversary of the publication of The Birth of the Living God, contributors to this international collection of essays confirm the significance of Rizzuto's contributions to psychoanalytic theories of religious experience. They also underscore Rizzuto's most important contribution to clinical practice: rather than assert that psychoanalysis is incompatible with religious beliefs and practices or with spiritual concerns that patients may bring to a therapeutic context, Rizzuto makes room for the coexistence of psychoanalysis and religion in the therapeutic setting. Accompanied by illuminating commentaries by Rizzuto, the essays in this volume address a range of topics: developmental processes associated with God representations, psychotherapeutic treatment models informed by Rizzuto's theory, the practice of psychotherapy in contexts shaped by Eastern religious traditions, monstrous referents in God representations, and the psychoanalysis of religion in light of the new atheism. Demonstrating how Rizzuto's work has enhanced connections within and among psychoanalytic theories of religion, established pathways for new developments in psychotherapy, and facilitated interdisciplinary conversations, this volume showcases the compelling power of Rizzuto's work and its ongoing influence.

Full Product Details

Author:   Martha J. Reineke ,  David M. Goodman ,  Ana Maria Rizzuto ,  John McDargh
Publisher:   Lexington Books
Imprint:   Lexington Books
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.70cm , Length: 22.10cm
Weight:   0.349kg
ISBN:  

9781498564267

ISBN 10:   1498564267
Pages:   228
Publication Date:   11 September 2019
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction, by Martha Reineke and David Goodman Chapter 1: The Paradigm Shifting Research of Ana-Maria Rizzuto: Origins, Strategy, Reception, and Horizon, by John McDargh Discussion, by Ana-Maria Rizzuto Chapter 2: Becoming a Believer, Becoming an Unbeliever. The Contribution of Ana-Maria Rizzuto to the Psychology of Religion in the Light of Clinical Practice, by Mario Aletti Discussion, by Ana-Maria Rizzuto Chapter 3: The Persecuting God and the Crucified Self: The Vital Role of Metaphors in Psychotherapy, by Gry Stalsett, Arne Austad, and Leif Gunnar Engedal Discussion, by Ana-Maria Rizzuto Chapter 4: The Healing Factor in Psychotherapy: An Encounter with Ana-Maria Rizzuto, by Anthony Stern Discussion, by Ana-Maria Rizzuto Chapter 5: Birth of a Living Monster: Rizzuto and the Religious Imagination, by Martha Reineke Discussion, by Ana-Maria Rizzuto Chapter 6: Ana-Maria Rizzuto and the New Atheism: Science and Religion in Light of Psychoanalysis, by Jacob Waldenmaier Discussion, by Ana-Maria Rizzuto Conclusion, by Martha Reineke and David Goodman About the Contributors

Reviews

Ana-Maria Rizzuto is an essential figure in the psychoanalytical approach to the religious fact and in the understanding of the origin and development of God images. Being a witness to her dialogue about her work with some major figures in the field is a gift for which we should be thankful to the publisher. Clinical practice and theory come together in this volume in an unsurpassable way, mutually shedding light on and enriching each other. -- Carlos Dominguez-Morano, University of Granada Goodman (Boston College) and Reineke (Univ. of Northern Iowa) have assembled a fine collection of essays related to the pioneering work of psychoanalyst Ana-Maria Rizzuto, whose book The Birth of the Living God (1981) transformed the way psychoanalysis approached the topic of religion. The present collection of six essays is in many ways an homage to that book's empirical and clinical interrogation of how representations of God are elaborated over the life-span. Each essay explores a different facet of Rizzuto's contribution to the psychology of religion, considering such topics as atheism, the healing factor in psychotherapy, the therapeutic use of metaphor, and the maternal matrix. A discussion by Rizzuto follows each essay, lending the collection a fresh dialogic dimension. These essays will serve as the best commentary on Rizzuto's important work to date, and will provide clinicians and scholars with material for further speculation on the relationship between psychoanalysis and religion. The interdisciplinary nature of the collection will serve as a model for future scholarship in the fields of religious studies, psychology, and psychotherapy. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. * CHOICE * The book has the freshness of interactive dialogues that cross, connect and weave themselves between Rizzuto and a Freud she admires and defies, and between her and the different authors, providing the reader with a true feast of interdisciplinary thinking. The fecundity of Rizzuto's work is demonstrated by the diversity of new developments it has given rise to in both theoretical and clinical psychoanalysis. This intellectually fascinating experience motivates the reader to rethink spirituality, religion and contemporary culture, leaving us wondering about the representation of God underlying new atheisms and the violent religious fundamentalisms of our century. -- Alicia Zanotti de Savanti, emerita, Ponticia Universidad Catolica Argentina The book is a model of how to advance important discussions not in lockstep, but with gracious respect when people differ, as several commentators do with parts of Rizzuto's thought and work. The first two chapters are extremely useful introductions to the wide applications of Rizzuto's work. . . . this is a valuable and insightful book with skillfully presented material. The editors and contributors are to be congratulated. * Logos: Journal Of Eastern Christian Studies * Reineke and Goodman have gathered a stellar group of scholars and clinicians to honor the thirty-fifth anniversary of Ana-Maria Rizzuto's groundbreaking publication, The Birth of the Living God. Confirming the impact and ongoing significance of the work of the `mother' of the psychoanalytic study of religious experience, contributors examine Rizzuto's personal history and cultural backstory; apply her insights in case studies and personal reflections; tease apart cultural tensions between faith and reason, reality and illusion; and extend her legacy through explorations of atheism, belief maintenance, and the maternal matrix underlying personal and cultural fears of monsters. Rizzuto is powerfully present within the volume, commenting insightfully on each essay. A tour de force, this impressive compilation will provide rich resources for future psychoanalytic explorations of religion. -- Diane Jonte-Pace, Santa Clara University If there was ever a Hall of Fame for thinkers in the psychology of religion, this book would be a strong vote for Rizzuto's election. The authors' deep respect for Rizzuto is evident and the book shines in situating the importance of her work in the psychology of religion that today can be dominated by an empirical bias that tends to be atheoretical and atheological. Perhaps the hidden gem of the book is that Rizzuto herself comments on every chapter. While she is gracious and grateful to the authors, she is also correcting and clarifying. One can almost sense Rizzuto's personality in her responses and it is easy to imagine this powerful woman who had the intellectual courage take on Freud, psychoanalysis, and the psychology of religion. * Reading Religion * The present volume, a Festschrift honoring Rizzuto's continuing influence, is well worth reading in and of itself . . . . one of the real gifts of this volume is Rizzuto's own responses to each chapter. Rizzuto answers the questions raised by the various authors, sometimes in considerable detail, offering up-to-date definitional and conceptual clarifications directly from Rizzuto's own ongoing work. All of the insights offered in this volume have continuing relevance for the practice of spiritual care today, perhaps even moreso in the pluralistic and interfaith context where much spiritual care is practiced. * The Journal Of Pastoral Care and Counseling * The book has the freshness of interactive dialogues that cross, connect and weave themselves between Rizzuto and a Freud she admires and defies, and between her and the different authors, providing the reader with a true feast of interdisciplinary thinking. The fecundity of Rizzuto's work is demonstrated by the diversity of new developments it has given rise to in both theoretical and clinical psychoanalysis. This intellectually fascinating experience motivates the reader to rethink spirituality, religion and contemporary culture, leaving us wondering about the representation of God underlying new atheisms and the violent religious fundamentalisms of our century. -- Alicia Zanotti de Savanti, emerita, Ponticia Universidad Catolica Argentina Ana-Maria Rizzuto is an essential figure in the psychoanalytical approach to the religious fact and in the understanding of the origin and development of God images. Being a witness to her dialogue about her work with some major figures in the field is a gift for which we should be thankful to the publisher. Clinical practice and theory come together in this volume in an unsurpassable way, mutually shedding light on and enriching each other. -- Carlos Dominguez-Morano, University of Granada Reineke and Goodman have gathered a stellar group of scholars and clinicians to honor the thirty-fifth anniversary of Ana-Maria Rizzuto's groundbreaking publication, The Birth of the Living God. Confirming the impact and ongoing significance of the work of the `mother' of the psychoanalytic study of religious experience, contributors examine Rizzuto's personal history and cultural backstory; apply her insights in case studies and personal reflections; tease apart cultural tensions between faith and reason, reality and illusion; and extend her legacy through explorations of atheism, belief maintenance, and the maternal matrix underlying personal and cultural fears of monsters. Rizzuto is powerfully present within the volume, commenting insightfully on each essay. A tour de force, this impressive compilation will provide rich resources for future psychoanalytic explorations of religion. -- Diane Jonte-Pace, Santa Clara University Ana-Maria Rizzuto and the Psychoanalysis of Religion will become the classic text about a classic text. The material here will enrich the work of the clinician and deepen the thinking of the scholar. A crucial read for anyone concerned with psychotherapy and religion, contemporary psychoanalysis, and/or the study of religion or who wants to understand the psychological sources of religious beliefs. -- James W. Jones, Rutgers University

Author Information

David M. Goodman is associate dean for academic affairs at the Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College, teaching associate at Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Hospital, and a psychologist in private practice. Martha J. Reineke is professor of religion in the Department of Philosophy and World Religions at the University of Northern Iowa.

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