Soul-Loss, the Sacred and Secularity

Drawing primarily on the work of Otto Rank and Christopher Bollas, I argue that the soul in its many objectifications is at least as much the cause of ontological anxiety as it is the cure. In its earliest embodiments as a shadow or reflection, Rank observes, the soul or psyche was inherently insubs...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Religious studies and theology
Main Author: Fenn, Richard K. 1934- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Equinox Publ. 2012
In: Religious studies and theology
Further subjects:B Soul music
B Bollas
B Secular
B Protest
B Freud
B Religion
B Rank
B Sacred
B soul-loss
B Sacrilege
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Summary:Drawing primarily on the work of Otto Rank and Christopher Bollas, I argue that the soul in its many objectifications is at least as much the cause of ontological anxiety as it is the cure. In its earliest embodiments as a shadow or reflection, Rank observes, the soul or psyche was inherently insubstantial. Attempts to keep the soul, objectified in some form or image of the sacred fail to protect the psyche from anxiety or even terror of dissolution because even these are also subject to desacralization and decay, destruction and sacrilege. Especially in complex and modern societies subject to both sacrilege and secularity, the soul is increasingly left far more to its own protective devices to ward off or overcome the threat of soul-loss.
ISSN:1747-5414
Contains:Enthalten in: Religious studies and theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1558/rsth.v31i2.181