Erik Eriksons Verbal Portraits: Luther, Gandhi, Einstein, Jesus

(Hardback)

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In his late teens and early twenties Erik H. Erikson, the widely acclaimed psychoanalyst and developmental theorist, aspired to be an artist. In Erik Eriksons Verbal Portraits: Luther, Gandhi, Einstein, Jesus, Donald Capps contends that Eriksons portraits of respective historical figures not only reflect his artistic gifts but also make a highly creative contribution to psychoanalytic discourse. Moreover, his verbal portraits are vivid and compelling representations of his multifaceted conception of identity. His emphasis on the formative role of the mutual recognition of mother and infant in human portraiture, the importance he attaches to the Self and the sense of I, and his use of psychoanalysis as a means to experience the living presence of noteworthy historical figures are especially noted. In addition to his portraits of the four men, his brief verbal portrait of Ruth Benedict is presented, and his personal identification with a fifteenth century painting of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is also explored.

Reviews

Capps is on form. Much like Eriksons work in his own time, Capps delivers a new way of looking at things already familiar. Readers will not be disappointed. These beautiful and articulate depictions of Eriksons verbal portraits give us a new way of looking at the already familiar life and achievements of Erikson as a portraitist. I have never seen Erikson in this way before. I admire and deeply enjoy what this book accomplishes. -- Kate Miriam Loewenthal, emeritus, University of London
Erik Erikson put the word identity on the map of modern vocabulary, in part because he had his own struggles with identity. Having given up his dream of becoming an artist, Erikson reclaimed this aspect of himself by means of verbal portraits. In this remarkable book, Capps demonstrates the ongoing relevance of Eriksons [portraits] of inspiring individuals and, in so doing, inspires us all. -- Nathan Carlin, PhD, University of Texas Medical School, Houston
Donald Capps does in this book for Erik Erikson what Erikson does in his quartet of 'verbal portraits.' He offers a way of looking at his subject that is richly illuminating because it is informed by his own longstanding personal engagement with one of the towering psychoanalysts of the mid-twentieth century. -- Peter L. Rudnytsky, University of Florida and the Florida Psychoanalytic Institute

Author Bio

Donald Capps, PhD, is emeritus professor of pastoral theology and adjunct professor at Princeton Theological Seminary.