The Birth of the Living God: A Psychoanalytic Study

by Ana-Maria Rizzuto

Utilizing both clinical material based on the life histories of twenty patients and theoretical insights from the works of Freud, Erikson, Fairbairn, and Winnicott, Ana-Maria Rizzuto examines the origin, development, and use of our God images. Whereas Freud postulated that belief in God is based on a child's idea of his father, Rizzuto argues that the God representation draws from a variety of sources and is a major element in the fabric of one's view of self, others, and the world.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Religion

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1979

Reviews

[Debra Snedden · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author said from the beginning that this was not a book about religion, but spends an inordinate amount of time speaking about God, who, by the way, she describes as an object…”an illusory transitional object”.
God is not a derivation from the Oedipal conflict and it was obvious Freud guided her research.
As a member of the 72% of the world who believe in God, He is the center of my religion and he guides my life.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The research part of my brain wants to know sooooo much more and expand on this. I’m not a psychoanalytic ride or die, but the themes around parents, specifically fathers, was a fascinating exploration of individual spiritual formation.

[John]

nonfiction,psychology,religion

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our conviction determines the way we elaborate our intuitions and our ideas.