Oskar Pfister
Encyclopedia
Oskar Pfister was a Swiss Lutheran minister and lay psychoanalyst who was native of Wiedikon. He studied theology
, philosophy
and psychology
at the Universities of Zurich
and Basel
, and earned his degree in 1898 at the philosophical faculty. Subsequently, he was a minister in Wald
, Switzerland, where he remained until 1920.
Pfister is remembered for his work involving the application of psychoanalysis into the discipline of education
, and his belief system of a synthesis concerning psychology
and theology
. He was a pioneer of modern Swiss psychology, and belonged to a psychoanalytical circle in Zurich that was centered around Eugen Bleuler
and Carl Jung
. In 1919, he formed the Swiss Society for Psychoanalysis. Though the psychiatrist Emil Oberholzer
founded a separate Swiss Medical Society for Psychoanalysis in 1928, Pfister stuck with the group he had started, defending Sigmund Freud
's position on lay analysis that Oberholzer's group rejected.
Pfister was an early associate of Freud's, and maintained an ongoing correspondence with him between 1909 and 1939. Pfister believed that theology and psychology were compatible disciplines, and advocated the concept of a "Christian Eros". He was particularly interested in Freud's concepts of the Oedipus Complex
, castration anxiety
and infantile sexuality. Pfister advocated a return to what he saw as the original fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ.
Today, the Oskar Pfister Award
is awarded by the American Psychiatric Association
as well as the Association of Professional Chaplains for significant contributions to the field of religion and psychiatry.
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at the Universities of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
and Basel
University of Basel
The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
, and earned his degree in 1898 at the philosophical faculty. Subsequently, he was a minister in Wald
Wald, Zurich
Wald is a municipality in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Wald is mentioned for the first time in a document from 1217. In the year 1621 the municipality received market rights....
, Switzerland, where he remained until 1920.
Pfister is remembered for his work involving the application of psychoanalysis into the discipline of education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, and his belief system of a synthesis concerning psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. He was a pioneer of modern Swiss psychology, and belonged to a psychoanalytical circle in Zurich that was centered around Eugen Bleuler
Eugen Bleuler
Paul Eugen Bleuler was a Swiss psychiatrist most notable for his contributions to the understanding of mental illness and for coining the term "schizophrenia."-Biography:...
and Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
. In 1919, he formed the Swiss Society for Psychoanalysis. Though the psychiatrist Emil Oberholzer
Emil Oberholzer
Emil Oberholzer was a psychiatrist who was a native of Zweibrücken, Germany. Beginning in 1908, he received psychiatric training under Eugen Bleuler in Zurich, and afterwards was an assistant at the psychiatric clinic in Schaffhausen from 1911 to 1916...
founded a separate Swiss Medical Society for Psychoanalysis in 1928, Pfister stuck with the group he had started, defending Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
's position on lay analysis that Oberholzer's group rejected.
Pfister was an early associate of Freud's, and maintained an ongoing correspondence with him between 1909 and 1939. Pfister believed that theology and psychology were compatible disciplines, and advocated the concept of a "Christian Eros". He was particularly interested in Freud's concepts of the Oedipus Complex
Oedipus complex
In psychoanalytic theory, the term Oedipus complex denotes the emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, via dynamic repression, that concentrate upon a boy’s desire to sexually possess his mother, and kill his father...
, castration anxiety
Castration anxiety
Castration anxiety is the fear of emasculation in both the literal and metaphorical sense.-Literal:Castration anxiety is the conscious or unconscious fear of losing all or part of the sex organs, or the function of such....
and infantile sexuality. Pfister advocated a return to what he saw as the original fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ.
Today, the Oskar Pfister Award
Oskar Pfister Award
The Oskar Pfister Award was established by the American Psychiatric Association , with the Association of Mental Health Clergy , in 1983 to honor those who have made significant contributions to the field of religion and psychiatry...
is awarded by the American Psychiatric Association
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
as well as the Association of Professional Chaplains for significant contributions to the field of religion and psychiatry.
Selected writings
- Psychoanalysis & Faith: the Letters of Sigmund Freud & Oskar Pfister (1909-39)
- The Psychoanalytic Method; Payne, Charles Rockwell (Translator), 1917