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The Failed Courage of the Fanatic

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Abstract

Fanatic acts are carried out by those who regard their inner being as having to be denied. By means of a projective identification to a leader and a strident religious cause, they experience their “unworthy” and “evil” self as having to be sacrificed so that their “good” self—as projected on the leader and the cause—can survive and reign. True prophets, as contrasted with the leaders of fanatic groups, do not teach their disciples to hate and flee those who oppose them; but, instead, to build a better world by coming caringly together with their adversaries to heal the wounds of loneliness, shame, and self-hatred.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Journal of Psychotherapy, USA

    Carl Goldberg (Editor-for-the-Americas)

Authors
  1. Carl Goldberg
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Goldberg, C. The Failed Courage of the Fanatic. Pastoral Psychology 51, 233–239 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021353423943

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021353423943

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