The Introjective-Depressive Personality in a Roman Catholic Population: Clinical Implications

Abstract

This dissertation attempts to integrate a psychoanalytic perspective on religious experience with a psychoanalytic understanding of “introjective-depressive personality” pathology within a subsection of the Roman Catholic clinical population. First, the author reviews relevant literature on the integration of psychoanalysis and religion and the concept of the depressive personality in psychoanalysis and offers a summary of the introjective-depressive personality. After this review of the literature, the author defends the thesis that, due to the reciprocal interaction between cultural elements within the Roman Catholic tradition and the course of personality development, some Roman Catholic introjective-depressive patients may present with certain identifiable clinical issues. Some of the issues a clinician might observe are (a) the mediating influence of a critical superego and subsequent neurotic guilt, (b) the “religious disguise” of defense mechanisms, and (c) an image of God as harsh and punitive. By identifying and clarifying these issues, the author hopes that important areas of clinical attention will be considered when working with lifelong, catechized, practicing Roman Catholic psychotherapy patients with introjective-depressive personalities.