Re-visiting Freud, Jewishness and the other

Abstract

This paper is written in response to the book Hate and the Jewish Science by Stephen Frosh (2005). The central questions being explored are ‘is psychoanalysis a Jewish science and what are the implications of the authors findings?’ The response is written very much using the contextual material of Frosh's book and makes reference to many of the general themes outlined, such as the Jew as other, the Jewish relationship to Yahweh and the contrasting relationship with God in Christianity. The subject of Jungian psychology is also explored in terms of a religious dimension that is omitted in Freud's works. There is also some discussion about generalisation as an inevitable problematic when discussing race and culture. Matte Blanco's concepts of symmetrical and asymmetrical modes of being are summarised to help offer a formulaic view on the processes of using logic to make generalisations through relative simplification. Finally, there is an exploration of variable dynamic relationships to an internal other that illustrates the potential conflict through a sense of superiority between other‐centricity and egocentricity.