Citation

MacKenna C. Br. J. Psychother. 2007; 23(2): 247-266.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1752-0118.2007.00021.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Psychoanalytic thinking is suspicious of the notion of perfection, whereas Christian (and other religious) thinking allows an important place to it. Is psychoanalytic hostility justified, or is it part of the depressive mind-set which even some insiders have attributed to the analytic perspective? With help from George Bernard Shaw and Robert Browning, this paper explores the reasons for therapeutic suspicion, but also considers Jesus’ teaching about perfection. Following leads offered by Matte Blanco, Jung and others, it argues for the spiritual and therapeutic value of making space for a dream of perfection – but it also highlights the murderous consequences of allowing the dream to become concretized.