Severin, F. T.

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epublications@Marquette

The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 19 | Number 4 Article 511-1-1952Book Review of Psychiatry and Catholicism, by JamesH. VanderVelt and Robert P. OdenwaldF. T. SeverinFollow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqPart of the Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, and the Medicine and Health SciencesCommonsRecommended CitationSeverin, F. T. (1952) "Book Review of Psychiatry and Catholicism, by James H. VanderVelt and Robert P. Odenwald," The LinacreQuarterly: Vol. 19 : No. 4 , Article 5.Available at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol19/iss4/5126 THE LI ACRE QUARTERLY Psychiatry and Catholicism by JAMES H. VANDERVELT, O.F.M., PH.D., AND ROBERT P. ODENWALD, M.D., F.A.P.A. BooK REVIEW by F. T. SEVERIN, S.J., Assistant Professor of Psycholog; , St. Louis University and Director of Counseling Services P SYCHIATRY and CATHOLICISM is a long delayed answer t, frequent question, "What does the Church think of psychiatry r · The reviewer is not certain whether this book was written primaril · for doctors and priests or for laymen. It is non-technical in charact< · and sufficiently elementary to appeal to the general reader. The twenty four chapters deal with a wide variety of topics rangin ; from the Catholic view of personality and morality to the concepts an-! methods of psychiatry, counseling techniques, the symptoms of mentf,; disorders, abnormal sex behavior, sex education, scrupulosity, alcoholisrr, the relationship of psychiatry . to religion, and the psychological aspect of marriage problems. The authors point out that, while religion is a powerful aid to mentb, health, it does not pretend to be a medical system and hence is no substi­tute for psychiatry. The former operates exclusively on the conscious levf'' while the latter deals largely with unconscious mental activity. For the sam-· reason, but more especially because of its purpose, confession cannot be con sidered primarily as a therapeutic device. A large section of the book is devoted to an explanation, and evalua­tion of depth psychology in its various forms. Favorable mention i� made of the Vienna school of Existential Analysis which stresses the need of God and religion. Three aspects of Freudianism are considered: 1 .i the philosophical foundations and religious implications which are unaf'­ceptable to Catholics, 2) certain psychological concepts which can b( ' · isolated from Freudian philosophy and judged on their own merits, and8) therapeutic methods which a psychiatrist may utilize without subscrib.ing to psychoanalytic dogma.It is surprising that the authors felt unable to distinguish betwee11 the philosophy of Carl Rogers and his nondirective type of counseling. They seem to think that the nondirective counselor must necessarily be indifferent to moral issues because he does not resort to advice and •I THE J.!NACRE QUARTERLY 127 persuasion. Many Catholic counselors will disagree with this point of view. There are times when a directive approach to an emotionally charged moral problem may have an altogether different effect than is intended. In these cases the nondirective technique is a handy tool in the counselor's kit and he may always fall back upon more directive methods if it fails. The chapters on "Scrupulosity" and "The Priest and Mental Hygiene" seem to have been written primarily for the clergy. Priests will also find the chapters on sex helpful in pastorial counseling. Several statements of a technical nature may be questioned by the psychiatrist, but he will probably agree with the general reader that this book is stimulating and well written. PSYCHIATRY AND CATHOLICISM published by McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. New York pp. ix, 488, 1952 

Book Review of \u3cem\u3ePsychiatry and Catholicism\u3c/em\u3e, by James H. VanderVelt and Robert P. Odenwald

https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4392&amp;context=lnq

Book Review of \u3cem\u3ePsychiatry and Catholicism\u3c/em\u3e, by James H. VanderVelt and Robert P. Odenwald

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