Controversy and Challenge: The Reception of Sigmund Freud's

In this study the engagement of scholars in theology and religious studies with Freudian psychoanalysis is examined. The book focuses on the explicit or implicit theological ideas and aims that have determined its reception. The analysis includes a review of Freud's theories as suggestions for reconfigurations of psychoanalysis are made in order to further theorize on concepts or fields of attention that are important in theology and religious studies. The aim of this double critical review is to establish what the theoretical potential of Freud's psychoanalysis might be. Herman Westerink (1968) studied theology at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands) and is currently working as university assistant at the Department of Practical Theology and Psychology of Religion, Protestant Theological Faculty, Vienna. He published several books and articles in the field of psychology of religion and psychoanalysis, most importantly Met het oog van de ziel (2002), Het schuldgevoel bij Freud (2005) and Godsdienstpsychologie in cultuurhistorisch perspectief (2007).