Psychology and
Religion
Revision Booklet
Name: _____________________________
Sigmund Freud’s challenges to religious belief
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Freud believed that religion was an illusion based on wish fulfilment.
He believed that in certain circumstances the human mind will create
beliefs and images to satisfy its most basic longings and desires.
Religion is created by the mind to help us overcome:
1. Inner psychological conflict (religion as a collective neurosis)
2. Conflict between our nature and civilization (Oedipus Complex /
Primal Horde)
3. Helplessness and fear of natural forces
1. Religion as a collective neurosis
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Freud’s work with his patients suffering from hysteria led him to
conclude that as well as conscious areas, the mind also contains
unconscious parts which we cannot normally access.
Through his work on hypnosis and dreams he realised that the
unconscious mind comprises a vast store of information about events
which we consider long forgotten.
He went on to suggest that unpleasant memories which are trapped in
the unconscious can surface later in the form neurotic and hysterical
behaviour.
Freud believed that neurotics perform ritual actions, like obsessive
hand washing, in the same way each time.
If the ritual is broken or is not performed correctly, the neurotic feels
an overwhelming sense of guilt.
In the same way, religious people perform religious rituals; if they are
not performed, they too feel guilty.
Freud described religion as a “universal obsessional neurosis”.
He believed that there are links between religion and the “obsessive
actions in sufferers from nervous affections.”
Freud’s conclusion is that religion itself was a form of neurosis, caused,
as in the case of other hysterias, by traumas deep within the mind or
psyche.
The central and perhaps most startling feature of Freud’s argument
was his belief that the trauma in question was invariably sexual in
nature.
2. Conflict between our nature and civilization: Religion as a response to
the Oedipus Complex
The Oedipus Complex:
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The suckling child is used to having its mother’s sole attention.
However, there is an already present rival in the form of the father.
The child develops acute feelings of jealously and hatred.
These feelings lead to the desire to kill the father.
These feelings are combined however, with great respect and fear for
the father.
This combination of jealously, hatred, respect and fear results in a
deeply traumatic sense of guilt.
This desire to possess the mother and the ambivalence towards the
father is the Oedipus Complex.
Freud feels that the Oedipus complex led to an act in the past, the guilt
of which has been passed on to all human beings.
This guilt is repressed and so manifests itself in the neurotic behaviour
of the religious person.
In his famous book, Totem and Taboo, Freud describes the past act
which led to the repressed guilt shared by all humanity.
He draws on the ideas of Charles Darwin, who suggested that
primitive men lived in hordes like apes.
These hordes were ruled over by a powerful father who had many
children and many wives.
The father was jealous of the sons, as he wanted all of the women for
himself.
He drove them out of the tribe to prevent them from having sex with
any of the women.
The sons felt a mixture of feeling towards the father.
They felt admiration for him, as the most powerful man who could
perform the act of sex with the women that they themselves wanted to
sleep with.
However, they also felt bitterness, as he was preventing their sexual
desires from being fulfilled. (Oedipus Complex).
The Terrible Act - Animism
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One day the sons get together and kill the father.
They eat his body as they want to absorb his strength and power.
They feel incredibly guilty for the crime they have committed.
They create a totem animal to worship as a father substitute.
The animal is sacrificed each year in the special totem meal which
commemorates the original crime of killing and devouring the father.
For Freud, this act is the beginnings of religion.
Freud believed that feelings of extreme guilt cause humans to create
idols which can be prayed to and worshiped to appease guilt.
This first stage in the creation of religion is called animism.
The guilt of the action of killing the father is passed on to all future
generations.
This guilt is repressed but is too powerful to stay hidden.
Therefore, it shows itself through the collective neurotic behaviour of
the religious.
Development into religion
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The second stage following the terrible act was a move toward the
concept of religion.
As time passed, the totem proved unsatisfactory.
As longing for the father grew, so did his reputation.
Eventually he took on divine significance and became transformed into
the gods of religions.
Freud points out that the gods of religion are treated with the same
ambivalence as was the original father figure, proving that there is a
connection.
A favourite example is the Christian God who is treated with great
reverence.
Every now and then, however, he is ceremonially killed and eaten in
the Communion feast.
This example, provides an exact link with the animist ritual killing
(sacrifice) of the totem.
3. Religion as wish fulfilment and a reaction against helplessness
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Freud argues that the main characteristic of an illusion is that it is
“derived from human wishes.”
There is no real proof or evidence for religion and yet sensible men and
women continue to believe.
For Freud, this suggests that religion persists because it contains within
it the wishes of those men and women which are so important to them
that they cancel out any doubts they may have about the truth of the
religion itself.
Freud feels that there are three things in our lives which make us feel
helpless but which we wish to control:
i) The external forces of nature which threaten to destroy humanity (floods,
earthquakes)
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Freud believed that humans wish to defend themselves against the
power of nature by creating religious ideas.
For example, the forces of nature might be turned into gods/goddesses
who can be worshipped and controlled.
Thus, religion can help people to deal with suffering and feelings of
helplessness in their lives.
Even death is not to be feared for the religious, who regard it as the
start to a new life where those who have had a good but painful life
will be rewarded.
ii) The internal forces of nature – human instincts (incest, cannibalism,
murder)
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Freud felt that every human being faces a conflict between what society
expects from him/her and his/her own human instincts.
For example, it is human instinct, Freud believed, to have sex with
family members, and yet society declares that this is wrong and labels
it as incest.
He felt that this leads us to feel mixed emotions towards society.
In one way, we are glad that things like murder and cannibalism are
not present in our society, but at the same time, we also feel hostile
towards society for preventing us from following our basic human
instincts.
This conflict leads to neurosis and feelings of helplessness.
Religion, according to Freud, helps us to deal with this helplessness, as
it teaches that God is watching over us and will make up for our
suffering.
For example, a human may feel that they are helpless to prevent their
own aggression.
However, religion prevents aggression by introducing ideas of justice
and protecting the weak.
It encourages believers to ‘love their enemies’ rather than being
aggressive towards them.
Religion also gives humans a conscience which prevents them from
acting on their instincts, promising that controlling the instincts in this
way will be rewarded in the afterlife.
iii) The longing for a father figure
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Freud felt that childhood was characterised by a feeling of
helplessness.
In childhood, one is comforted by the protection of the father.
In adulthood, humans are still helpless against the forces of nature and
the conflict they face between their instincts and the expectations of
society.
In a response to this helplessness, humans respond by turning to God
as a supreme father figure, seeking the same comfort they felt in their
childhood due to the protection of their own father.
For Freud, therefore, believing in a father like God who will protect us
from the evils of nature and our own human instincts and who will
compensate for our earthly suffering in the afterlife is nothing more
than wishful thinking, an illusion.
Carl Gustav Jung’s challenges to religious belief
Religion as an expression of the collective unconscious
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The collective unconscious is present in every human being, regardless
of their personal experiences.
It is made up of archetypes which Jung describes as, “identical psychic
structures common to all.”
Jung believed that the collective unconscious is the oldest part of the
human mind.
All humans have the same ideas and images contained within their
collective unconscious.
These ideas and images come to humans in dreams and in their
concept of God.
For example, Jung found that many people liken their god to light.
Therefore, he concluded that the relationship between light and
religion is part of the collective unconscious.
All humans share a common idea of God as it is part of the collective
unconscious, shared by all humanity.
Archetypes
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Jung believes that every human has archetypes which are a priori
(gained prior to experience).
Examples of archetypes include the mother figure and the hero figure.
Jung states that the archetypes which make up the collective
unconscious are “unconscious organisers of ideas.”
The fact that all humans have the same archetypes means that they are
likely to form similar ideas about things, like God.
For Jung, the five most important archetypes are:
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Persona
Shadow
Anima
Animus
Self
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The Persona
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The Persona is what we show to the world – it is a mask.
We hide the parts of our characters which we think people won’t like
and which society does not like and show off the parts which are
pleasing to society.
The Shadow
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The Shadow is made up of the parts of our personalities which we do
not believe are acceptable in society and therefore are not suitable as
part of the Persona.
Anima and Animus
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The Anima is the feminine side of the male.
The Animus is the masculine side of the female.
Males are keen to include the masculine elements of their personality
in the Persona, but repress their feminine characteristics.
Likewise, women have a feminine Persona and repress the masculine
parts of their personalities.
The women that a man is attracted to will have the characteristics of his
Anima; those he is not attracted to will have characteristics which
conflict with his Anima and the same for women.
The Self
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Jung believed that the Self is the most important part of the psyche.
The Self seeks the integration of all of the parts of our characters.
It guides us through life.
It can be seen as the ‘God within’, the mystical part of humans or the
soul.
God as an archetype – the God within
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Jung felt that the images and ideas of God which humans have are
archetypal.
This means that all human beings are born with a tendency to come up
with religious ideas of God.
Jung’s term ‘the God within’ refers to his view that God is an inner
psychological experience.
God for Jung is an expression of the collective unconscious.
The God-archetype, like all archetypes, is ineffable since it comes from
a part of the mind about which nothing concrete may be known.
Jung therefore believed that an experience of any archetype would
count as a religious experience because all the archetypes are equally
ineffable.
Jung concludes that God and the whole entity of religion, exists as a
psychic reality; that is, to those who experience the effects of the
archetypes, God is real.
However, nothing can be proved about his existence or nature outside
the mind.
God and religion can therefore perform the role of maintaining the
balance of the mind and prevents neuroses through a process Jung
calls individuation.
The Process of Individuation or Quest for Integration
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Individuation is a process humans go through to become a separate
individual.
According to Jung, to maintain health, all the features of the
personality need to be integrated.
For example, there needs to be a balance between the conscious mind
and the unconscious mind.
There also needs to be a balance among the different archetypes.
It is the failure to maintain this balance that is the main cause of mental
disorder and neurotic illness.
For instance, someone who has an excess of mental energy
concentrated only on the unconscious mind will appear disconnected
from their surroundings, since they will be aware chiefly of the images
generated by the unconscious.
For Jung, our lives are split into two parts:
1. The first part of our lives (up to the age of 35/40) is about constructing a
socially acceptable Persona and repressing parts of our personalities.
2. The second part of our lives (35/40+) is about embracing our selves,
asking spiritual and philosophical questions about life and the purpose
of existence.
Individuation and its relationship with religion
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The process of individuation could be considered a religious process.
Jung believed that the archetype of the Self and the archetype of God
cannot easily be distinguished from one another.
However, the Self and God are not the same thing and the Self is not
there to replace God.
They are linked because they are both impossible to describe and
understand.
Jung felt that the symbols of God and the Self are both symbols of
unity.
Individuation is about wholeness and totality: these are also the goals
of religion.
How do Freud’s theories challenge religious belief?
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Freud argued that a believer could counter his ideas by stating that
removing the illusion of religion and the comfort it brings to many
people is cruel.
Freud conceded that if religion brought people nothing but happiness,
then this point would be valid.
However, for Freud, religion is purely negative.
It does not prevent people from rebelling against society and religion
can be manipulated by people to justify social injustices.
He believed that religion is used to oppress people and stated that
humans have “overrated its necessity for mankind.”
For Freud, the illusion of religion prevents humans from maturing.
Humans need, he argued, to recognise religion for an illusion in order
to make social progress.
Religion is holding humanity back and it is only by rejecting religion
that humans can progress.
Rather than being satisfied with their easy to bear religious lives,
humans should put their energies into their life on earth so that they
can become mature.
The evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins agrees with Freud and
believes that religion has prevented the development of the sciences by
refuting their claims and offering myths instead of facts.
How does religion respond to Freud?
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Freud does not provide any proof against religion.
God could exist in reality and he cannot prove that this is not the case.
Many believers would say that religion does give them happiness in
their lives and that, far from promoting social injustice; religious
groups actively strive to promote equality in the world.
Freud does not really understand the religious experience.
He himself admits that he is not capable of relating to those who claim
to have had ecstatic and mystical experiences.
Believers feel that these experiences are extremely important and it
could be said that Freud is wrong to dismiss something that he does
not understand,
How do Jung’s theories challenge religious belief?
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Jung believed that religion is a positive phenomenon which leads to
good mental health.
This means that his ideas do not challenge religious belief in the same
way as those of Freud.
Unlike Freud, Jung does not believe that religion is a negative neurosis.
Jung felt that religion is positive as it unlocks the collective
unconscious which is therapeutic for the individual.
Jung felt that religion is constantly evolving by helping to develop the
personality.
It helps to integrate a person’s conscious and unconscious life and
nurtures a person through the different stages they go through in life.
Therefore, Freud is wrong to label religion as ‘infantile’ – it is an
evolving, nurturing processes which is beneficial to those who believe
in it.
Jung believed that Freud was wrong to reduce religion to the sexual
libido.
He felt that in doing this, Freud had misunderstood the function of
religion and had failed to recognise the collective unconscious which is
the part of a human that allows him/her to know something of the
meaning of life
Has ‘God’ been explained away by psychology?
Yes
Freud believed that religion is nothing but an
illusion. It is a human construct which is
created by the mind to help us to overcome
our fears of the natural world and our own
psychological conflicts.
Freud felt that humans must reject any
religious belief in order to mature. He believed
that just as the beliefs of obsessional neurotics
are not based on any fact, so religion, which
does not have any firm proof, should be
rejected. Therefore, from this view ‘God’ has
been explained away by psychology.
Freud believed that religion results from the
actions of the primordial horde. We long for a
father figure and feel guilty for the original
crime of killing the father and so construct God
to ease our guilt and to prevent feelings of
helplessness. Freud has shown that ‘God’
could merely be a human creation intended to
ease our lives.
For Jung, God is a shared archetype and the
archetypes exist only in the mind. They are not
physical, tangible realities so therefore it
shows God is not a physical reality but a
construct of the mind.
No
Freud does not provide any actual proof
against God or religion. He himself admitted
that God could exist objectively even if his
ideas are true – there could be a God who
exists even if humans construct a God image
to help them to cope with life.
Jung argues that it is not the job of Psychology
to attempt to explain away God. Psychologists,
he argues, should be concerned with the
effects that belief in God has on a person.
Whether or not God exists objectively is not an
answerable question, especially from the
viewpoint of Science and Psychology which
should be concerned only with empirical fact.
John Hick argues that Freud’s work could be
seen to be beneficial to religion. He feels that
Freud’s work on the father figure may have
uncovered one of the ways in which God
reveals Himself to the human mind.
Jung feels that belief in God can have an
extremely positive effect, but he does not feel
that this proves or disproves the existence of
God. The idea of God is to be found in the
archetypes of the collective unconscious, but
God could (or could not) exist independently
of this.
For Jung, religion is a part of human nature
which can be studied like any other part – this
does not necessarily undermine religion or
God.
The strengths and weaknesses of the psychological view of
religion
Freud’s Strengths
Freud was immensely intelligent. His work greatly influenced the Western understanding of the
mind. The idea that people imagined gods to represent the good and bad in their own lives and
personalities was not a new one. It was held by many others in Freud’s time.
In The Natural History of Religion, David Hume had argued that humans had constructed religion
in order to help them to deal with the misery of life and the dread of death.
In The Essence of Christianity, Feuerbach states that religion is a childlike condition. He felt that it
is an illusion which comes from feelings of separation from oneself and the world. These
feelings of separation lead to the qualities which we ourselves lack being projected on to a
‘God’.
Freud’s strengths lie in the fact that many could relate to his ideas about religion and
psychology in their own lives.
Freud’s Weaknesses
The Historical and Anthropological Evidence
Freud’s theory of the horde was based on the ideas of Darwin. However, they were just ideas. It
is now generally accepted that there was more variety in primitive societies than Freud
suggests.
For example, not all tribes had totem animals. This suggests that Freud’s idea that guilt was
handed down from generation to generation is incorrect. Therefore, he is wrong to suggest that
religion is based on this guilt.
Malinowski and the Oedipus Complex
Malinowski is a famous Sociologist who discredits Freud’s Oedipus complex. He argues that the
family is not the same in every society and so the Oedipus Complex cannot be universal. If it is
not universal, then it cannot be the cause of all religion.
For example, in Trobriands, the family is matrilineal and the Father has nothing to do with the
upbringing of the children. Therefore, there is no Oedipus Complex there and their religion
must require a different explanation.
Freud uses a narrow selection of evidence
Freud focuses on religions with male deities such as Judaism and Christianity. He ignores
religions with important female goddesses, such as Hinduism and religions which do not have
a deity at all, such as Buddhism.
He generalised the results of his five case studies, assuming that the Oedipus complex detected
in those cases was in fact at work everywhere. Freud constructed a theory to explain the
societies and religions with which he was familiar, and ignoring those of others.
Freud has a negative bias towards religion
Donald Winnicott argues that religion is positive, as it helps humans to adapt to their
environment by offering comfort and familiarity.
Ana-Maria Rizzuto argues that religion is no more of an illusion than science and that Freud is
wrong to suggest that science has the sole claim to truth. She accuses Freud of replacing the
illusion of religion with the illusion of science.
Freud’s refusal to accept religion could stem from his own religious upbringing and also the
impact religion played in the Nazi regime.
Jung’s Strengths
As Jung provides a theory of religion and psychology which is less damaging to religion, he
has been praised by religious thinkers:
“[Jung has] rediscovered the religious and the sacred and got rid of an overwhelming
rationalism. (Raymond Hostie – Jesuit theologian)
“[Jung is] one who knows so much about the depths of the human soul …” (Paul Tillich –
Theologian)
“[By studying Jung] we can gain an insight into the ways by which men become aware of
God.” (Charles Hanna – Jungian)
Jung has highlighted that religion can have a positive effect on a person’s mental health and
well-being. A particular strength of this approach is the belief that every human, no matter
what their culture, has a basic understanding of the God archetype. If this is true then Jung’s
theory of the God archetype gains support from well over a billion people.
Religion helps to balance the unconscious and conscious mind which leads to happiness and
self-fulfilment. This theory is in line with many religious ideas about God. Becoming closer to
God and having a relationship with God leads to happiness and self fulfilment.
Jung’s Weaknesses
The Theory of Archetypes
Geza Roheim argues that the theory of archetypes is unnecessary. As humans share the same
experiences, such as dependence on parents, it is not surprising that they construct similar
myths. Also, some religious myths come from the experiences of a particular community and
so it seems unlikely that they are born out of an idea which is present in all humans.
Also, many people do not believe in God. Jung himself countered this argument by stating
that atheism itself is a religion. It seems that he will not allow anything to counter his ideas. If
his theory is not open to falsification, some would argue that it is meaningless.
Jung’s idea of religious experience
Martin Buber argues that an experience which takes place in the mind, rather than externally
to the individual, is not a religious experience. Jung has also been criticised for suggesting that
any vision is religious. Perhaps he has failed to understand the uniqueness of a religious
experience and the effect that they have on religious believers.
Individuation
Is this a religious process? If it is concerned with the Self, is it really about God? For example,
Jung argues that the image of Christ is a symbol of wholeness to help balance our minds.
However, for a religious believer, Christ is so much more than this. He is an historical person
and the Son of God, not just a symbol of the mind.
Furthermore, how does Jung account for people with no religious belief or affiliation who
have balanced mental health? If his theory of individuation is to be accepted and linked to
religion then everyone would need some form of religion in their lives; this is not the case.
Reductionism
In reducing religion to archetypes and the process of Individuation, has Jung actually
damaged religion? In stating that religion is a subjective phenomenon, does he suggest that
God is not an objective reality?
Jung, instead of promoting the value of religion has instead reduced it to a simple idea. Our
minds have projected images that we associate certain archetypes – in the case of religion the
archetype is God. Therefore, God is a projection of our mind and not valuable. Instead, Jung is
offering a similar argument to Freud in that religion is simply delusion and wish-fulfilment.
Is there a relationship between religion and mental health?
Yes
Freud believed that religion is damaging to
mental health. He felt that it is a neurosis and
likened religious behaviour to that of
obsessional neurotics. He believed that religion
is an expression of guilt and inner turmoil and
that it would never allow an individual to be
free from feelings of guilt and helplessness.
Religion must be rejected in order for
humanity to mature. Thus, religion is seen as
something which holds a person back and
prevents them developing, which is clearly not
conducive to good mental health.
Although religion can prevent people from
falling into neuroses Freud still believes it
magnifies the problem of obessional neurosis.
It can heighten the sense of guilt and fear
toward the father figure which ultimately
damaging to mental health.
The modern psychologist John F. Schumaker
believes that religion can foster an unhealthy
level of guilt and reduce one’s self esteem
through beliefs such as sin.
It can lead to a dependency on one’s God,
forcing people to conform rather than to forge
their own purpose in life. It can also cause
social division as well as fear of the prospect of
judgment and punishment.
No
Religion is beneficial to many people. It helps
them to feel happy and allows them to
socialise with other people who share similar
views, rather than being isolated and
unhappy. It helps them to deal with difficult
situations in life, such as loss of a loved one,
giving them an outlet for their grief through
prayer. Without the support of God and the
church, peoples’ mental health might be
adversely affected when facing these
challenges of life.
Jung had a more positive view. He felt that
religion helps to maintain good mental health
and that people without a faith are much more
likely to suffer from mental illness. Religion,
Jung argued, allows people to feel at one with
themselves and to integrate all aspects of their
personalities. Without this integration process
mental health can be adversely affected.
Religious leaders often visit the mentally ill to
offer them support and comfort. They can help
people to come out of depression by offering
them someone to talk to and a religious
community where they feel they ‘belong’.
Many people turn to religion at difficult points
in their lives, such as moving away from home
to go to university, after having children, after
the break-up of a relationship. Religion helps
them to deal with these stages of life rather
than slipping into mental illness.
Essay Questions
January 2011
1. Explain how psychology has understood religion, with particular reference
to:
• the Oedipus complex
• the theory of archetypes.
Expect discussion of how the Oedipus complex is a major understanding of Freud’s
view of religion. Expect reference to the Oedipus complex as a universal sexual
trauma (the terrible act) Candidates need to explain how this links to religion as
universal and the concept of God.
Expect candidates to explain archetypes in terms of the psyche (mind) creating
images, especially the God archetype. The images of God are fundamental to the
quest for integration, according to Jung.
Maximum level 5 (23) if only one part answered.
For level 6-7 candidates must show how psychology has used these ideas to
understand religion.
2. ‘Psychology has successfully explained “God” away.’ Assess this claim.
Agree:
Role of mind in religious belief – Freud’s idea of religion as universal obssesional
neurosis.
Religion meets psychological needs of people – Freud’s idea that religion is a defence
mechanism created by the mind to overcome fears/guilt.
Disagree:
Expect critiques of Freud and Jung theories. E.g. challenge that religion is guilt based.
Can the Oedipus complex be applied to everyone? Not all deities are male. The
theory of archetypes criticised.
Debate needs to be focussed around the focus -“explaining God away”.
June 2010
1) Examine Freud’s view of religious belief.
Collective Neuroses
Worked with patients suffering from hysteria, two areas of the mind, conscious and
unconscious. Unpleasant memories are stored in the unconscious. Neurotics perform
ritual actions, religious people perform similar rituals. Religion is a “universal
obsessional neurosis
Response to Oedipus Complex
The primal horde. The terrible act. Development into religion
Wish Fulfilment
The external forces of nature which threaten to destroy humanity (floods,
earthquakes). The internal forces of nature – human instincts (incest, cannibalism,
murder). The longing for a father figure
2) ‘There is a strong relationship between religion and unbalanced mental
health.’
To what extent do you agree with this view?
Agree with view
Freud – religion is a neurosis and could be seen as a cause of mental illness. Can
heighten guilt and reduce self esteem.
Disagree with view
Expect some critique of Freud’s views. Freud saw that religion can bring comfort
therefore can help mental health and / or source of religion as reasoned / objective.
Candidates may also refer to Jung who had a positive view.
January 2010
1) Examine Jung’s view of religion as an expression of the collective
unconscious.
Focus on what the collective unconscious is and how this is shown within people.
Links should then be made to the theory of archetype with particular reference made
to Jung’s five main archetypes (persona, shadow, anima, animus and self)
Focus then on the idea that ‘God’ is himself an archetype which can be found in the
collective unconscious. The link between God and the self and how this archetype
can provide balance to a persons mental health.
2) ‘Jung’s view of religion challenges religious belief.’
Assess this claim.
Support claim
Religion seen in terms of inherited characteristics. Seems to reject external God. An
experience which stems from internal may be questioned as being termed religious.
If God is an archetype then he is merely a construct of the mind and has now
physical or tangible form.
Challenge to claim
Jung’s view is wrong (expect criticisms of Jung’s view); focus on some of his
weaknesses.
Jung had positive view of religion. Sees religion as a valuable entity.
June 2009
1) Explain how psychology may challenge religious belief.
Expect mainly Freud examples, e.g. Wish fulfilment; Oedipus complex; religion seen
as a neurotic illness.
Refer to Jung and his ideas about “God” as an archetype; or the process of
individuation and how religion/God can help this process.
Level 7 possible if only Freud’s challenges are fully discussed.
2) ‘Religion has been successful in responding to the challenges of
psychology.’
To what extent do you agree?
Agree
Expect critiques of Freud’s and / or Jung’s theories and conclusions, e.g. challenge to
view that religion is guilt based / attack on Oedipus complex / not all deities are male
/ Jung’s theory of archetypes criticised.
Some candidates may argue that psychology strengthens religion in that it depicts it
as something positive, e.g. Jung.
Disagree
Explanation of the role of the mind to account for religion still strong.
Gives new understanding of “religion”.
Religion meets people’s psychological needs – psychological profile of religious
people.
There should be an appropriate evaluation. Expect some reference to “to what
extent….successful”.
January 2009
1) Explain Jung’s understanding of religion.
Expect discussion about the collective unconscious and archetypes. Key terms may
also include the shadow, the animus, anima, and the self.
The terms need relating to the quest for integration and how this relates to religion
and the spiritual journey.
Maximum Level 4 if just identified and defined key words without relating them to
the idea of integration and finding the self.
2) To what extent has God been explained away by Jung’s views?
In favour
Expect discussion of criticisms of Jung’s views such as many religions do not share
common images. More developed evaluation might focus on how Jung saw God as
an archetype and so rejected any idea of a relationship with God.
Against
For the opposing view expect discussion about Jung’s positive view of religion and
the spiritual journey. For Jung, to have a religious outlook was not about subscribing
to a particular creed or belonging to a religious organisation. To experience the
archetype of the self was seen as a numinous experience.
Expect an appropriate evaluation in terms of “to what extent”.