Arabic-L:GEN:Islam and Psychoanalysis Query

[Dilworth B. Parkinson]

Arabic-L: Mon 05 Jun 2000
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
[To post messages to the list, send them to arabic-l at byu.edu]
[To unsubscribe, send message to listserv at byu.edu with first line reading:
          unsubscribe arabic-l                                      ]

-------------------------Directory-------------------------------------

1) Subject: Islam and Psychoanalysis Query

-------------------------Messages--------------------------------------
1)
Date: 05 Jun 2000
From: nasalski at Smail.Uni-Koeln.de
Subject: Islam and Psychoanalysis Query

Hi all,
I wonder if anyone knows anything about any serious attempt to explain
Islam and Arab psychology on the basis of Psychoanalysis, such as one
provided for Christianity by E. Drewerman.

As an example of what I mean just a short quotation. In his book
"Psychoanalysis of culture" Ch. Badcock writes: "Islam is very much a
derivative [of Judaism]. In this respect it stands in relation to its
Jewish original rather as an adult obsessional neurosis stands in relation
to a childhood one (...), because, while undeniably an obsessional form in
itself, it is one wholly derived from an earlier experience, and one
which, in its exaggerated emphasis on scrupulous observance of ritual
details, cleanliness, and obsessive forms of piety, corresponds exactly to
what one finds in the obsessional neuroses of adults. (...) If we were to
take this characterization of Islam seriously we would have to suppose
that the two thousand years separating the exodus from the hegira
represented the interval between the appearance of a childhood neurosis
during adolescence (...). this is exactly the situation." (1980:144).

Unfortunately Badcock's book is not a monograph on Islam. I will be
grateful for any suggestions.

Best
Ignatio
nasalski at smail.uni-koeln.de
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Arabic-L: 05 Jun 2000