Religious and spiritual revival through a Winnicottian lens

ABSTRACT

The view of psychoanalytic theorists toward religion has proceeded along the same trajectory as sociological theory: from rejection, to ambivalence and tolerance, and on to a guarded acceptance and appreciation. Winnicott viewed religion as a positive and beneficial component of the cultural experience that he called transitional space. I will explore whether religion and spirituality possess a unique role in the service of transitional space experiences and whether Winnicott’s construct of transitional space can be used as a lens to view the postmodern revival of religious practice and spirituality as a response to the hyper-secularization of modern life.

KEYWORDS:

• Religion
• secularization
• spirituality
• transitional space

Acknowledgments

This manuscript was enhanced by the review and comments of Kathryn Basham, PhD, LICSW, Professor, Smith College for Social Work, Northampton, Massachusetts.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.