RGP6550HF Psychology and Religion

Answer only ONE of the following:

 

1.Using material from Lesson 5 (and Jones’ chapter 4), what might Jones say about the idealization depicted in the film “Jesus Camp”?

 

2.Analyze some personal involvement you've had (or someone you know has had) with religion and determine whether your and/or their participation in the religion (NOT the religion itself) would be considered healthy or unhealthy (or some combination of both) using the ideas of at least one of the following:

 

Freud’s notion of religious ideas as “illusions.”

 

Jones’ criteria, from the perspective of self psychology, for  determining healthy and unhealthy religious participation found in Lesson 2.

Jones' criteria, from the perspective of self psychology, for determining unhealthy and mature religious idealization found in Lesson 5.

Fairbairn's notion of the "moral defense"

Any criteria from Fauteaux for determining healthy or unhealthy   religious participation.

Any of Klein's ideas: the paranoid-schizoid position, the depressive  position, projective identification.

Any of the major ideas Shaw presents in either or both of his essays  that you read.

Winnicott’s ideas as they were related to religion presented in Lesson 7.

Epstein’s notion of surrender.

Ghent’s thoughts about submission and surrender.

Jung’s ideas as they relate to religion.

Hillman’s ideas as they relate to religion.

 

3. Analyze Jung's account of his religious experience presented in "Confrontation with the Unconscious" using at least one of the ways to distinguish healthy and unhealthy religion presented in the course.

4. Do you agree with Freud that religious ideas are fulfillments of infantile wishes? Why or why not? (Hint: do not get caught up in the details of his argument presented in the reading Future of an Illusion. Just go directly to supporting and developing your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with his view about religious ideas).
5. Discuss what you imagine at least one of the following would say about Freud’s view that religious ideas are illusions:

a. Jones
b.Winnicott
c. Jung

 

Guidelines for writing your essay:

1.Avoid overly generalized opening sentences that really say nothing and cannot be substantiated. Go directly to your response to the essay topic.

2.Be sure to read the essay topic very carefully. You may have written a fine essay, but if you haven't actually addressed the essay topic, your mark will suffer.

3.Put clear limits on what you will discuss. Resist saying everything! These are short assignments in which you demonstrate your ability to understand and to think; they are not your life work.

4.Provide transitions between topics; your thoughts should have continuity; they should “hang together.”

5.Support or illustrate your assertions. If, for instance, you agree with an author's point, do not simply announce your agreement, but make sure you go on to say why you agree or disagree.

6.Likewise, do not simply record your reactions (e.g., “I found this subject interesting”) without saying more about your reactions (e.g., say why you found it interesting).

7.No bibliographic reference is needed for common knowledge (e.g., Canada is in North America) or for course material, but if you use course material, provide identifying information (e.g., a page number, a weblink, the minute number of a video, etc.) in the text of your essay so I can follow up your reference if I need to.

8.If however you do use outside sources, provide full references for quoted material including page numbers. Choose a reference form (i.e., footnotes, endnotes, text notes) and use it consistently throughout. I don't care which style you follow, just be consistent.

9.If the topic asks for your views, use the first person (e.g., “I agree with so and so...”).

10.Avoid trying to get too many thoughts into one sentence. If your sentences are getting too long, see if you can divide them into two or three smaller ones.

11.Avoid using words like `he', `him', 'man', 'mankind', etc., to speak for all human experience.

12.Feel free to support your ideas with examples from your own experience, but use these examples only to illustrate, support or challenge some point. In other words, do not simply recount some experience of yours for its own sake. I have no way of marking your experience.

13.Avoid arguments based on any religious or anti-religious assumptions and commitments you might have. It's not that these commitments are unimportant; it's just that this course is about an academic approach to grief, death and dying. I have no way of marking your religious views. As with any personal experiences, feel free to talk about your personal religious views, but only for the purpose of making some larger point. In other words, do not preach or moralize from within any religious perspective.

14.Do not simply reiterate course material.

 

15.Proofread your work! If you do well in the above skills, but don't have the writing skills to support your good thoughts, your mark will suffer. Information should be found in this text  Jones, James. Terror and Transformation: The Ambiguity of Religion in Psychoanalytic Perspective. New York: Taylor and Francis, 2002.