Religious delusions and filicide: a psychodynamic model

In this article, we present a psychodynamic explanation for the complex crime of filicide motivated by religious delusions. To begin, we provide an overview of filicide, including its typology and epidemiology. Second, we examine the psychoanalytic theories of Heinz Kohut and Otto Kernberg so as to...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Knabb, Joshua J. (Author) ; Welsh, Robert K. (Author) ; Graham-Howard, Marjorie L. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Taylor & Francis 2012
In: Mental health, religion & culture
Year: 2012, Volume: 15, Issue: 5, Pages: 529-549
Further subjects:B filicide
B Forensic Psychology
B Religious delusions
B chronic mental illness
B Psychoanalytic Theory
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:In this article, we present a psychodynamic explanation for the complex crime of filicide motivated by religious delusions. To begin, we provide an overview of filicide, including its typology and epidemiology. Second, we examine the psychoanalytic theories of Heinz Kohut and Otto Kernberg so as to better understand how family-of-origin experiences add to the ways in which psychotic disorders later take shape in filicide cases. Third, we offer an explication of the psychology of religion, including the role that religious defences and religious delusions play in cases involving filicide. Ultimately, we hypothesise that mothers with religious delusions commit acts of filicide due to the dynamic and reciprocal interaction between mental illness, psychological functioning, and the psychological role played by religion. We conclude our article with a case illustration to demonstrate our theoretical model.
ISSN:1469-9737
Contains:Enthalten in: Mental health, religion & culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2011.594998