| Abstract: | Religion is an important constituent of a person's identity, whether it be a personal identity or an ethnic one. The ethnic religious identity is the seat of deep narcissistic attributes and could be a source of basic character flaws. Analysts and patients enter the analytic relationship with identities that have religious backgrounds, and their religions can have noticeable impact on their relationships. Although each religion has its own characteristics, all religions share some common features that affect the analyst and the analysand's reactions. The author approached Islam as a text that requires and invites a hermeneutic analysis. This approach distinguished it from psychoanalysis and lessened its impact on his practice. However, the author's approach to Islam was instrumental, in a profound way, in clarifying aspects of the classical theory of psychoanalysis, which would not have been easy to reach without taking Islam seriously as a subject of study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
